


The Worth of a Foil

by Arttrain



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-11-13
Packaged: 2020-05-31 10:58:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19424575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arttrain/pseuds/Arttrain
Summary: “We shall bind the houses of Agreste and Tsurugi.”Kagami has waited for this moment, sitting across from her mother as the Tsurugi matriarch reveals the contract that has been in the works for months.“There will be an arranged marriage between yourself and Mr. Agreste…”Finally, she can be with Adrien: the only one who will ever be worthy of-“…’s nephew, Félix Agreste.”…What?-Kagami does not get her perfect prince charming. Instead, her fiancé is his stoic and unkind shadow, every bit as cold and candid as herself. He does remind her so much of herself.It’s hate at first sight.





	1. Salut

**Author's Note:**

> Imagine: Two alpha-type personalities, both hyper-competent savages who take no shits from anyone. Now they have to put up with each other. 
> 
> Thus I started writing this crack pair.

Kagami steadied her breathing, easing herself into a semi-meditative state. There would be no use in losing her temper here, sitting before her mother. With an ingrained grace, she took the contract being handed to her and glanced over the contents.

Her mother and Gabriel Agreste’s signatures. The name of ‘Félix Agreste’. Her own name.

“What about Adrien?” 

Her question sounded childish and weak even as she asked it, but she tried to steel her voice. There was a burning in her throat and chest that she ignored to the best of her ability. She would not be akumatized a third (or was it technically fifth?) time. She had disgraced herself enough already.

“I would have preferred that option as well, but Gabriel refused. He seems to truly love his son, too much so to give him away.”

Unlike you? The question passed unasked. Kagami didn’t need to ask it. She already understood that the Tsurugi name would always come first, before herself. She would do her duty to uphold it, as she was raised to do.

“I understand,” she gritted out.

Kagami continued to stare at the contract as her mother nodded and exited the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She tried to reason with herself. After all, she knew since she was a child that one day she would be strategically married off to another powerful family. That was how households like her own had always operated. It was simply that for a while, she held on to the hope that by some miracle it could be Adrien. It certainly seemed to be headed that way, with their families spending so much time together, arranging for Adrien to be her escort at every turn. There was nobody better than Adrien. She had never met this Félix but surely he couldn’t compare. She could go through the motions, allow herself to be joined in matrimony, but she would never accept him as a replacement. She was certain.

It was with a bitter surprise that she blinked and realized that the paper in her hand was already staining with tears. Startled, she wiped them off before the ink could smear, hoping that her mother wouldn’t notice. 

Kagami settled back and returned to her breathing exercises. At least this wasn’t as bad as Lila, she told herself. Adrien himself would not be affected. They could still be friends. There was still a chance that one day he would change his target to her. Contracts could be broken. 

She eased herself with these thoughts, knowing deep down that they were simple platitudes: shallow attempts to ward off an akuma. Even so, it worked. Without a single purple butterfly in sight, Kagami laid the contract back down on the table and left for the dojo. She would swing her bokken until all was forgotten, as she always did.

-

Félix understood that he was in his uncle’s debt. All his necessities were provided for, his rather expensive education was paid in full, not to mention the worth of the Agreste name itself. He wasn’t exactly in a position to say no, and he couldn’t say he was surprised to see the curt e-mail from Nathalie (not Gabriel himself, of course not) explaining that they had just decided the entirety of his future for him.

A quick internet search told him that Kagami Tsurugi came from a prestigious family of old wealth and famous samurai ancestry, which had also nurtured an impressive line of champion fencers. Kagami’s own list of junior fencing accolades dwarfed even his own cousin’s, and the few photo ops that existed depicted a fairly pretty young girl with short, bobbed hair and a sharp, no-nonsense look about her.

She seemed every bit the typical pedigreed rich girl, though he supposed he was no different. Out of all the children he met who were born into money, Adrien was the only one who ever broke the mold. From every angle, it looked like a cut and dry, typical arranged marriage. At the very least he should consider himself lucky that Gabriel didn’t decide to unite with the Bourgeois. Chloé would be the death of him. He didn’t care who he married as long as it wasn’t someone like her. He had long since given up hope of a loving marriage, only partially due to his uncle’s control over his life. The other part was completely due to his own personality.

An electronic ticket to Paris was attached, scheduled during his vacation time from school, along with an expectation that he was to return to his hometown often to parley with the Tsurugis. Wordlessly, Félix began packing his bags.

-

Madame Tsurugi insisted on a traditional Omiai, a Japanese marriage meeting which, in Kagami’s opinion, was utterly pointless considering they were already all but betrothed. She didn’t know if her mother wanted to give off the illusion of choice or meet Félix herself to test his fit for her daughter. After all, she didn’t yet know whether he’d be as competent, or as pliant, as Adrien.

Regardless of the reasons, Kagami found herself sitting in their family’s tea room, complete with hard tatami flooring and a Japanese garden outside the open sliding doors. Her mother had scrutinized over every last detail like a hawk, ensuring that it was built to her exact specifications, and as traditionally as possible.

In contrast, with their sharp western suits, the Agrestes looked almost out of place.

Kagami observed Félix Agreste. She hadn’t bothered asking for a picture before this meeting. It mattered not what he looked like if he wasn’t Adrien, even if they shared some similarities. The blond hair, except a bit longer and tucked behind the ears. The high cheekbones, except sharper and more aristocratic. The lean frame, except slightly taller and lacking as much athletic tone. It was almost insulting how he looked so similar yet so different.

The worst were the eyes, blue and glacial, as he were looking down at everything around him, herself included.

Kagami hated him.

“Then, I suppose we shall leave you two to get acquainted.”

Only her years of lessons in poise and conduct stopped Kagami from flinching at her mother’s sudden voice. So caught up was she in pouring over every little detail of her future fiancé, that she hadn’t even been paying attention to what their guardians were saying, or when they had stopped talking. A laughable misstep.

“Yes, thank you mother,” Kagami nodded solemnly as her mother left the room with Gabriel Agreste, sliding the screen door shut behind them.

There was a passing silence as Kagami sipped from her tea cup and Félix curiously leaned forward and picked up one of the unfamiliar sweets sitting at the center of the table, squishing it between his fingers.

“It’s a traditional dessert called mochi,” Kagami supplied.

“I see,” Félix replied, and popped it into his mouth. His face gave away no indication as to whether it tasted good to him or not, but he did pick up another one.

There was another beat of awkward silence as the two sat there, eating and drinking, before Félix finally spoke.

“You seem disappointed.”

“What gave you that idea?” Kagami’s brow quirked, surprised that he could peek past the exterior. She didn’t earn the nickname ‘Ice Queen’ for nothing. She knew people called her that to be demeaning, an insult, but in her own way she was proud of it. It showed that she had a hold of her emotions and conducted herself in a way befitting of the Tsurugis.

“You’ve been glaring at me since I arrived.”  
“So have you.  
“This is just how my eyes look.”  
“Then mine are the same way.”

Félix’s gaze narrowed even more as the two came to another standstill. Suddenly, that gaze shifted to a corner of the room and Kagami cursed belatedly as she remembered there was a gift left on the low table from the last guest who visited them. A picture frame, herself and Adrien, his arm slung over her shoulder and a rare smile on her face. It was from their last fencing tournament where she had, naturally, taken first place.

“I see, you were hoping it’d be Adrien,” Félix’s deadpan tone at last took on a bit of colour, but it was all smugness, “Unfortunately for you, Adrien Agreste is far too important, so I was sacrificed in his place.”

“Is that your opinion of marriage to me? A sacrifice? You should be honoured to be given a place in the Tsurugi family.”

“It isn’t the family I have an issue with.”

“Let me make this clear,” Kagami set her teacup down fiercely, allowing a loud and sharp clack to resonate through the room, “I don’t like you either. I’ll put up with you for the sake of the Tsurugi name, but I will not tolerate you looking down on me.”

“I don’t think I’m the haughty one in this situation. You were judging me all over the minute I arrived.”

“That’s the point of a marriage meeting. We’re supposed to judge each other.”

“Well I think our judgement of each other is quite clear by now, isn’t it?”

The two continued to glare at each other, a crackling tension and mutual dislike simmering the air. For once, Kagami wished that her mother would return to the room.

She really, _really_ hated Félix Agreste.


	2. Assaut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support for a couple which I know is completely out of left field. It's been a very pleasant surprise! Reading your comments has been very encouraging :)

“He is actually quite an impressive young man,” Tomoe Tsurugi remarked after the Agrestes had departed, addressing her daughter pointedly from over her teacup.

Kagami half-listened, making a mental note of any details which she’d be expected to know in the future, and filtering out the rest. Her mind was still fuming over the blatant disrespect shown by the man who was to be her intended.

“He’s been studying overseas and is top in his school. He’s written several award-winning essays, won multiple violin competitions, and is an FIDE chess master. I had my doubts at first, but he may be an even better son-in-law than Adrien.”

Kagami’s jaw clenched.

“Of course, there isn’t anything wrong with the boy, he’s very nice, like you’ve said, but Gabriel coddles him too much. He doesn’t put him out there, doesn’t encourage him to win. He isn’t nearly as accomplished as you, and he spends too much time modelling. Looking pretty for pictures is not exactly a noble art.”

Her nails were digging into her palms now.

“It would be inappropriate to let a mere model become part of the Tsurugi line. Besides, Félix isn’t the heir to the Agrestes. He’ll be able to take our last name.”

“So it’s all about the Tsurugi name. That is how you’re judging Adrien’s worth?” Kagami spat before she could stop herself. Shocked, she covered her mouth, averting her eyes even though she knew her mother couldn’t see.

“Of course I am,” Tomoe stated matter-of-factly, “And you will do the same. I won’t hear any complaints from you, understand?”

Kagami felt herself sink into her seat, wishing suddenly to disappear. Only her mother could make her feel so insignificant, as if she were still a little girl.

“Yes, mother.”

-

“So Félix, what do you think of the Tsurugis?” Gabriel asked, but his attention was focused on the tablet in his hand.

Félix himself was more interested in the passing landscape, observing the vaguely familiar landmarks of Paris as their limousine made its way back to the Agreste mansion.

“They seem to be very fine people,” Félix lied.

“If you do have any particularly strong feelings against it, know that I won’t force you,” Gabriel offered, to his surprise. He had never known his uncle to be this lax, “After all, there are other prospects. The Bourgeois, for example.”

“No, that’s quite alright,” the younger Agreste assured, masking his panic beneath a dulcet tone. Kagami might be difficult, but at the very least she didn’t seem to be a public embarrassment like Chloé. Even through her dislike, she was able to fake courtesy for the rest of their meeting.

His uncle “hmmed” in acknowledgement before returning wholly to the work on his tablet, apparently having decided that he’d fulfilled his obligatory daily quota of speaking to his nephew. Félix usually enjoyed silence, but the types of silences shared with his uncle were always uncomfortable and suffocating. Gabriel seemed to be constantly taught with tension, as if there was a great burden on him, some dark and strange thing which never allowed him to relax and occupied all his thoughts. Félix wondered if it could really be that stressful running a fashion empire.

Luckily, the drive was short, and the miasmic atmosphere lasted only a few minutes before they pulled up the drive of the splendid Agreste mansion.

“I believe Adrien should be returning from work now,” Gabriel mentioned offhandedly as they entered. It was the only thing he said before meeting his secretary and accompanying her to his office, leaving Félix with the hanging implication to go occupy his younger cousin.

To be honest, he always felt some small modicum of dread when having to face Adrien. The youngest Agreste was a perfectly nice kid, but his naivety could be irksome. Their ideals and worldview were so different, and Félix often had to bite his tongue on some of his more scathing remarks.

Even if he wanted to avoid the interaction, it was too late, since Adrien was already bounding down the stairs like a dog whose master just came home. Félix could practically see the tail figuratively wagging behind him as he just barely came to a stop before bowling him over and ruining his fitted suit.

“You’re back!” The brilliant model-esque smile on his face almost made Félix feel guilty, “Sorry, I wasn’t able to welcome you when you got here, I had a shoot.”

“No need to apologize, I know you’re busy,” Félix tried to relax his voice, to let Adrien know it wasn’t a bit deal, but came off a bit too unaffected and sounded more like he simply didn’t care. He realized his mistake when the light in Adrien’s eyes dimmed a bit, but luckily there was still that boundless optimism to fall back on.

“Anyway, you’re here for the whole summer, right? I can’t wait! I’ll need to introduce you to everyone, it’ll be a lot of fun!”

Meeting new people. Wonderful.

“There’s Chloé, you remember her, right?” 

“Unfortunately,” Félix mumbled under his breath. If Adrien heard it, he didn’t acknowledge it.

“Nino, my best friend. And Kagami, she’s pretty cool,” the boy had started counting off his fingers now, as if he were a kindergartener.

“I’m sure she is,” Félix could not sound more unenthused if he tried. He debated mentioning that he was supposed to get engaged to said Kagami, but ultimately decided the headache of explaining that yes, people don’t necessarily have to get married for love and the world isn’t pure and innocent to Adrien wouldn’t be worth it. Besides, he’d find out eventually, once the engagement was finalized.

“Oh, and of course, Marinette,” suddenly, his cousin’s voice softened, and Félix quirked a brow at the glossy look in his eyes, “She’s really nice. I’m sure you’ll like her. She’s always been a great friend to me!”

Félix could almost laugh. Only someone as naïve as Adrien could end up being this unaware of his own feelings. In the back of his mind, he wondered what Kagami’s take on this was. Would she scoff and roll her eyes, offended that someone would choose another over herself and the great Tsurugi name that she put so much of her self-worth in? Seeing as she was able to go along with getting engaged to Félix so easily, Adrien probably didn’t matter all that much to her. No room for sentiment when you’re busy being a stone cold bitch, he supposed.

“Um, Félix?” Adrien startled him out of his thoughts, and Félix felt embarrassed to have been caught with his mind elsewhere, “Are you okay? You started making this kinda angry face. What were you thinking about?”

“It’s nothing,” Félix cleared his throat, silently and illogically cursing Kagami for making him think of her, “Go on. What were you saying?”

“Well, I just thought that since it’s summer vacation now, dad might let us go out. I’d love to introduce you to all my friends. There’s this new bowling alley opening up and…”

Adrien continued to ramble at a mile per minute, and Félix nodded along while itching for the conversation to end so he could crawl into the study and curl up with a good book until dinner. Nevertheless, he remained politely attentive, dreading the eventuality of disappointing Adrien’s friends once they met him.

-

The new bowling alley, Bowling Dupont, was of modern furnishing built into an old building on the corner of the street. The worn stone exterior juxtaposed haphazardly with the sleek black interior. It was poorly lit and had obnoxious pop music blasting from ceiling speakers, the bass turned up so high it was a wonder that the bowling pins weren’t being knocked over from the sound alone. It was also packed with people. Félix was currently staring at a pair of rental bowling shoes like it had personally offended him. They weren’t even that used, but the mere thought of wearing communal footwear made him feel nauseous. He was an Agreste. This was an affront to his integrity.

From a few meters away, Marinette whispered to Adrien, “Is your cousin okay? He’s been glaring at those shoes for a while now…”

“Uh, I’m sure he’s just new to all this. Believe it or not, Félix might get out even less than I do,” the green-eyed blond, with the purest of attentions, approached his cousin, “Come on, Félix. I wanna properly introduce you to everyone!”

Félix sighed and reluctantly slipped on the shoes, making his way over to the group of expectant teenagers. The very large group of teenagers.

“Is this your entire class or something?” Félix whispered incredulously.

To his horror, Adrien responded, “It is! How did you know? Well, except for Lila. She said she’s in Nepal right now…climbing Mount Everest.”

Even his naïve, innocent, trusting cousin didn’t seem to believe the blatant bullshit spilling out of his mouth, but since he didn’t elaborate, Félix decided to leave it alone.

Adrien then proceeded to painstakingly introduce each and every one of his friends. Félix decided to remember their names, just in case, but doubted he was going to interact with any of them after today. He took special note of Marinette, the rosy-cheeked pigtailed girl who looked like she was about to spontaneously combust simply by standing in his cousin’s presence. He could already sense the convoluted middle school disaster-romance that was their relationship with each other.

“Oh, and you remember Chloé,” Adrien paused once he got to the familiar ponytailed girl who looked at Félix like he was a piece of gum she just stepped in.

“Wow~ I didn’t think you’d actually show,” she chortled, “I mean, it’s not like you ever played with us when we were kids. Or had any friends, unless books counted.”

“People change. Obviously I’ll make accommodations for others now,” Félix smirked, “I’ve actually grown up, unlike you.”

Chloé gasped and swiveled on her heel to peer up at Adrien, “Adrikins! Are you just gonna let him talk to me like that!?”

Adrien lifted his hands defensively and backed away slightly from her, as if stepping away from a particularly rabid raccoon. Félix mused that there was hardly any difference between the two anyway.

“Come on guys, don’t fight,” Adrien smiled nervously, “We’ve still got one person coming. She’s really busy so she said she might be a bit late…” 

Félix watched, bemused, as almost simultaneously, Chloé and Marinette turned to each other and grimace, speaking in unison, “Oh no, not her.”

“Who?” Félix quirked a brow at the unlikely pair. 

“Ugh, the Ice Queen, of course,” Chloé seethed, and simply from the descriptor, Félix had a feeling he knew who this mystery person was.

As if on cue, the front door swung open, filling the dim bowling alley with a flash of light. With all the poise and confidence of a general returning from war, Kagami strutted her way through the crowd to stand before the group. She side-eyed Félix, the distaste rolling off of her in waves.

Félix responded in kind.

“Kagami, you’re here!” Adrien lauded, “Kagami, I want you to meet my cousin. This is-“

“Félix,” Kagami cut him off curtly, “We’ve met.”

“Oh!” Adrien didn’t seem to notice the animosity between his cousin and fencing partner, even if the rest of his classmates had started to catch on, albeit confusedly, “Yeah, I guess you probably would have. Félix always was more involved with the business side of things. I guess my dad introduced you two?”

“Something like that,” Kagami half-affirmed, meeting Félix’s eyes. 

Just from the one sharp look, he could read the question she was asking: _Why wasn’t Adrien informed yet?_

Félix shot another one back, nonchalant, but also challenging: _I don’t care if he knows or not. Tell him yourself._

“Are you done gazing into each other’s eyes now?” Chloé interrupted, and immediately, the two turned away from each other to bore into her with identical icy glares. She cowered a bit, but couldn’t hold back one last biting retort, “You two are way too similar.”

Félix wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t really refute the statement. Regardless, the fact that they held the same type of stuffy pride and contempt for others was exactly why they could never get along. Félix sighed. This was going to be a very long and painful marriage.

Kagami simply levelled another glare at the Bourgeois girl and turned towards the lanes, “I don’t have time to waste on you. Let’s just get started already.”

She picked one of the three lanes they had reserved, the one closest to the wall, prompting the rest of the group to shrug and follow her lead, each picking a lane to bowl in. Félix had every intention to head as far away from her as possible, but Adrien had already grabbed his wrist and dragged him over to where Kagami was setting up. They were followed by the one Adrien called his best friend, Nino. A second later, a stammering Marinette also joined them, accompanied by the one named Alya. 

From beside him, Kagami dug into her bag and, almost as if to rub it in his face, pulled out a pair of her own, personal bowling shoes.


	3. Carton Jaune

“I didn’t know you bowled,” Félix was genuinely surprised, but hid it beneath a veil of distaste.

“I don’t, really,” Kagami explained haughtily, even as she strapped a professional bowling glove to her hand, “Bowling is just for fun. It’s not a sport dignified enough for me to do professionally.”

She then stood and, without waiting for anyone else to set up or determine bowling order, picked up a ball and sent it down the center of the lane in a perfectly straight line. Naturally, all the pins toppled over and an obnoxious celebratory tune played over the speakers. Strobe lights dotted their lane for extra flair.

“STRIKE!” A campy announcer’s voice blared as Kagami smugly marched back to her seat, levelling a challenging gaze at Félix as she did so.

“I’ll go next,” he stood to meet her challenge, while the other four members of their group began to shoot concerned looks at each other over the suddenly hostile atmosphere, “I’m more of a golfer myself, but I’ve dabbled in bowling. It’s nothing more than simple physics.”

Félix stood before the lane, carefully calculating the weight and dimensions of the ball in his hand and picturing its intended path down the ramp. Then, after several seconds, he gently rolled the ball down the lane. 

At first, it seemed to veer too far to the right, and Adrien already started to comfort him, “It’s alright. Everybody gets gutterballs sometimes-“

“No,” to his surprise, Kagami was the one who interrupted him, albeit with a bitter look on her face, “He put a spin on it.”

True to her word, the bowling ball began change direction two thirds of the way down the course, veering back towards the center and striking right between the second and third pins on the right side, a sweet spot.

The booming “STRIKE!” and ostentatious light display followed again, and Félix turned back to grin at Kagami, brushing imaginary dirt off his sleeve. 

He sat back down next to her, and she turned up her nose, “Keep peacocking. It’ll make it sweeter when I embarrass you later.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Marinette went after them, and to Félix’s astonishment, managed to trip over her own feet about two seconds after she picked up the bowling ball. There was a painful “THUD” as the ball dropped out of her hands and rolled away, immediately into the gutter.

“That was so bad, I’m almost impressed,” Félix remarked to the girl as she glumly returned to her seat. She flushed in embarrassment at his blatant jab.

“Félix!” Adrien chastised, aghast at his cousin, and immediately turned to comfort her, “Don’t worry Marinette, it’s only your first time. Come on, I’ll show you some pointers!”

Adrien waved Alya and Nino to go ahead of him, and retreated to a corner with Marinette, going over the fundamentals, starting with how to hold the ball, a concept that somehow needed explanation despite there being three holes blatantly designed for human fingers to fit in. From beside him, Kagami fumed even harder. Félix wondered if he’d soon see steam rising from the top of her head.

“Is that something worth losing your composure over?” he questioned, and Kagami turned abruptly, as if she’d forgotten he was even there. That irritated him inordinately, “Just because Adrien likes some no-name girl better than a Tsurugi? You really can’t stand losing that badly?”

“You don’t understand anything. It isn’t just about me. She’s weak and useless, and can’t even make up her mind on which boy she likes. Adrien can do better,” she sniffed. However, her attention turned away from the couple in the corner and instead to the insufferable blond before her, “But I’ll show you just how much I can’t stand losing.”

Then it was her turn again, and she bowled another strike. 

-

Kagami observed the scoreboard with an air of satisfaction, her 224 shining brightly above Félix’s 213, both of their scores leagues above that of anybody else’s in the bowling alley.

“I demand a rematch. You had a bowling glove. And your own shoes,” the worst Agreste was glowering at the screen as if a heated enough gaze could burn the offending score right off.

“Who’s a sore loser now?” Kagami teased, “But I’ll accept whenever you want. It’ll feel twice as sweet to obliterate you a second time.”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re a sadist?”

“Usually people have the sense not to say that to my face. Need I remind you that I’m _very_ good with a sword?”

For a moment, Félix seemed to give her a once over, as if checking to see if she actually had a sword on her. Kagami laughed internally, making sure not to let her amusement show. Though it was true she had her foil in her bag.

“I’m glad you two are getting along!” Adrien’s bright cheery voice interrupted her train of thought, and for a second, Kagami gaped inelegantly at the sacrilege pouring from his mouth.

“We are _not_ getting along,” she denied, and to her horror, Félix had chorused the same thing in unison.

They shared another glare, each blaming the other for copying their thoughts.

“Well, Marinette invited us all to the bakery for some macaroons,” Adrien gestured at the pigtailed eyesore, who was looking at them with the panicked eyes of someone who very much did not want them to join, “Are you two coming?”

“I don’t think so,” Kagami rejected, and Marinette visibly relaxed, “I have fencing practice after this.”

“I supposed I have no choice,” Félix seemed pained as he answered tiredly, “Unlike someone, I don’t have a convenient excuse.”

“Are you accusing me of lying?” Kagami intoned coldly, satisfied that the atmosphere seemed to freeze at her voice. To accentuate her point, she withdrew her foil from her bag, inciting a chorus of panic from a few bystanders. She pointed the end at Félix, relishing in his alarm even though the blade was safely tipped with plastic, “I could always skip practice if you’ll let me test my blade on your body, instead.”

In the background, Chloé could be heard quietly whispering to Sabrina, “Is it just me or did that sound kinda…like…kinky?”

Kagami made a mental note to eviscerate the Bourgeois girl later.

“Oh for heaven’s sake. What is wrong with you?” Félix seemed to finally get a hold of himself, and brushed away her foil with the back of his hand, “You need to calm down. It’s no wonder Adrien would much rather be with Marinette.”

Marinette’s explosion into an over-excited blubbering mess was lost over the white hot rage filling the fencer’s vision.

“Hey! Félix, don’t be like that. Kagami is a friend!” Adrien tried his best to mediate, but only made things worse.

“Are you sure she considers you a friend?” Félix laughed, “Looks more to me like she considers you a challenge. One that she’s losing. Why else would she be getting this worked up over-“

He was interrupted by Kagami angrily shoving her foil back into its bag, nearly upending the whole thing in the process. She fell back onto her breathing exercises. Calm down. Deep breaths. It would be the embarrassment of the century if she allowed herself to get akumatized over the words of someone as worthless as Félix Agreste.

“I don’t have time for this,” the Tsurugi heiress spat, before spinning sharply on her heel and leaving.

“Kagami!” Adrien called after her, but didn’t bother giving chase. He turned to his cousin with an admonishing look, “Seriously Félix, why are you always like this? I thought you’d at least be able to get along with Kagami, since you’re so alike.”

“If I hear one more word about how similar I am to-“ Félix stopped short when he noticed a dark leather-bound book on the floor. It went completely unnoticed in the poor lighting of the establishment, “What is this?”

“That’s Kagami’s notebook. It must have fallen out of her bag,” Adrien remarked, then tapped his chin with his finger, seeming to think for a second, “Why don’t you return it to her? Think of this as a chance to make up.”

“Why would I want to do that?” Félix sneered, ignoring the fact that he was engaged to her and by all logic, probably should have been putting more effort into getting along with her anyway.

“I know you’re not all that bad, Félix,” Adrien smiled with misplaced optimism, “Just give it back to her next time you see her. I’m sure she’ll be happy. Now let’s go get some macaroons.”

-

In the darkness of a domed atrium, Hawkmoth groused, “I don’t understand. She still can’t be akumatized.”

From behind him, his bespectacled secretary tilted her head, “Are you still speaking of the Tsurugi girl?”

“Yes,” Gabriel Agreste pounded his cane on the floor angrily, “I went to lengths to orchestrate her heartbreak. Giving her hope with Adrien, only to crush it with Félix. Yet every time she seems close to succumbing to darkness, she seems to hold it back.”

“Well, Miss Tsurugi is very willful,” Nathalie remarked, “And she is exceptionally averse to being akumatized now. It’s become a point of pride for her.”

“What a shame,” Gabriel muttered, “But no matter. Simply burying your emotions isn’t enough to be rid of them entirely. Eventually, the dam will break, and I will have a very powerful akuma on my hands. Until then, I have other means of chipping at that dam.”

-

For some reason, Félix ended up keeping the notebook with him. Adrien was very insistent that he returned it to her and those puppydog eyes of his probably had mind-controlling capabilities or something of the sort. Heaving a disgruntled sigh, he tossed it on his desk. He could probably casually pawn it off to her at their next meeting. However, as the book slid across his desk, a bright, thin object fell out. Curiously, Félix picked it up between his fingers. A rose, carefully pressed and dried. He was surprised. Something so delicate seemed far outside of Kagami’s aesthetic. Then, as he flipped the notebook open to place it back, he was struck dumb. 

There, on a worn and frequently flipped-to page, a torn-out section of a photograph was taped. He’d seen it on Adrien’s desk before, but this version contained only himself and a familiar fencer in red.

Félix was so stupefied that he nearly laughed out loud. It was so…normal. So very much like a typical girl to secretly keep a picture of herself and her crush. Looking at this, one would think that Kagami Tsurugi had genuine feelings for Adrien Agreste. In which case, her feelings were probably genuinely hurt by one presumptuous idiot rubbing her futile affections in her face under the impression that they didn't really exist.

In the silence and solitude of his room, Félix let out a dry chuckle, “I, am an asshole.”


	4. Parade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, time for some meat!

D’Argencourt insisted that having the team teach drop-in classes would be a great exercise in coaching and showcasing their mastery over the basics. Kagami, naturally, thought it was a waste of time. Her opinion was only bolstered when Adrien walked into class that day with his prat of a cousin in tow. It did not help the awful mood that she was in these days.

First, she had found that she’d misplaced her journal, the one that would have her die of embarrassment should anyone lay eyes on its contents. Then, her mother had given her the set date for when her engagement was to be publicly announced. The end of the week. She had until then to tell Adrien, after which he’d find out on his own, since it would likely be plastered all over the news channels. Once he knew, he’d never consider her a possible target again. Adrien wasn’t the type of person to chase after someone else’s fiancée. Even though she strived so hard to better herself, to be exemplary like a Tsurugi should be, she had lost. 

Félix at least had the decency of looking uncomfortable as he donned a set of fencing gear, brand new, she noted amusedly. It seemed he was quite averse to renting a uniform from the club.

“Did Mr. Agreste force you to come?” She grit, her sour mood emanating through every syllable.

“No, actually,” was he…nervous? Kagami stared with confusion as Félix fiddled with the foil in his hands, seeming like he’d rather poke and prod at the blade than look her in the eyes, “There was something I wanted to speak to you about.”

However, Kagami’s attention was already focused on something over his shoulder. She had to stand on the tips of her toes (why did this boy have to be so damned tall?) to catch a good view of Marinette Dupain-Cheng creeping into the auditorium in her usual spastic fashion. She nearly toppled over when Adrien started waving her over. He seemed happy to see her. Had they pre-arranged to have him teach her? 

“Of course she’s here,” Kagami growled under her breath, stamping down the pang flaring in her chest, “She’d never miss a chance to follow Adrien around.”

Félix turned his head, also noting Marinette’s presence. A complicated expression came over his face, and to Kagami’s astonishment, he shifted his stance to block the other girl from view. Kagami’s vision was filled with the white fabric of the fencing uniform stretched over his broad chest.

“Never mind her. You’re supposed to be teaching me to fence.”

“What?” Kagami narrowed her eyes suspiciously, “I expected you to take this opportunity to rub it in my face again how little Adrien cares for me. How simply by virtue of being incompetent, Dupain-Cheng captures all of his attention, while all of my efforts are meaningless.”

“Or alternatively, they’re just friends,” Félix offered hesitantly, “And he’s teaching a friend. There’s nothing worth getting jealous over.”

“As if. I’m not blind,” Kagami could feel herself getting frustrated, the cumulation of every awful thing happening to her finally coming to a head, “And I don’t want pity from you of all people. I thought I believed I didn’t have any real feelings for Adrien. That I saw him as a, what was it again? Just a challenge?”

“And I’m…sorry,” the apology looked like it caused him physical pain to utter and Félix reached into his bag to pull out, to Kagami’s horror, a familiar notebook, “I realized that your feelings were genuine. I was completely out of line. You dropped this at the bowling alley.”

Kagami’s hands trembled, and she quickly snatched it out of his grasp, “You looked inside?”

“It was an accident,” the blond pled, and to her surprise, she believed him, “Forgive me for misunderstanding. I thought that, like me, you had no attachment to anyone else since you agreed so easily to our engagement.”

“As if I had any choice!” Kagami answered much louder than she intended to, and her voice reverberated around the auditorium. Many of the other fencing pairs had turned to the sudden disruption. Adrien himself was shooting the two of them a worrying stare, as if debating whether or not he should intervene. Even Marinette looked concerned, and Kagami was positive the girl hated her.

Félix, surprising her again, waved them all off with a huff, “What are you staring at? Mind your own business.”

Slowly, the attention drifted away, but Kagami still couldn’t find her way out of the haze of anger. Her heart was broken, Adrien was forever out of her reach, she was trapped in a loveless marriage with a bastard almost as difficult to get along with as herself, and her privacy had been invaded. Furthermore, Félix had chosen to suddenly start acting kind towards her, so she didn’t even have a place to direct her frustrations anymore. There was nowhere for them to go but inwards. It was her own fault for being inadequate. For Gabriel Agreste to deem her unworthy of her son, for losing her notebook, for being incapable of pushing her feelings aside enough to at least pretend to be polite to her future fiancé. For being a disgrace to the Tsurugi name. She could feel her carefully constructed restraint slipping through her fingers and began to panic, eyes darting around for the sight of a familiar black butterfly.

“What’s the matter?” Félix floundered uncharacteristically, and her gaze fixed onto him in surprise. His brows, usually straight and low-set, were furrowed. One hand was raised towards her, in a half attempt to place it on her shoulder and the other...

“What are you doing?” Kagami asked, her disposition suddenly shifting to one of bewilderment, and Félix lowered his raised hand guiltily.

“Nothing. I was simply concerned-“  
“No. I mean what are you doing with your foil?”

She tossed the notebook to the side and grasped the wrist of his other hand, where he held the fencing blade…by its guard.

“This isn’t the handle,” her mouth twitched, threatening to betray her mirth at the ridiculous fencing mistake that only a beginner who didn’t even know what a sword looked like could make, “It’s the guard. It’s supposed to go over your knuckles to protect them.”

“Oh,” Félix stared dumbly at the hand in which he incorrectly held his weapon, “I thought it was like a teacup or a watering can. Usually the handle sticks out.”

“Ha!” Kagami tried to bite her tongue, but her choked back laughter was unmistakable. Her mouth unconsciously curled into an amused smile. She graciously pried Félix’s hands from the guard and wrapped them around the actual handle, adjusting his grip until it was perfect. All the while, he stared between her face and her hands manhandling his own as if she’d suddenly sprouted a second head. 

“There,” the red fencer concluded as she stepped away from her student, “Much better.” Kagami raised her foil and stepped back into a starting position, “En garde!” She announced.

Félix, still somewhat befuddled, hesitantly lowered his faceguard and shuffled back. He made a poor attempt at imitating her stance.

“Not like that,” Kagami rolled her eyes, “You look like you’re about to direct traffic. Lower your center of gravity.”

She demonstrated by sinking into her crouch. Félix reclined back, looking affronted.

“You expect me to hunch over like some Neanderthal? That is so unrefined. I still have my pride, you know?”

Instead of berating him, Kagami simply strolled over and wordlessly placed a palm on his chest. She couldn’t see Félix’s face behind the guard, but if the sudden jolt in his shoulder was anything to go by, he was certainly caught off guard. Then, without any warning, she shoved.

“Hey!” Félix yelped as he stumbled back, barely managing to catch himself from tumbling to the floor, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“If your center of gravity was lower, you wouldn’t fall over so easily,” Kagami flipped open his visor to stare him in the eyes, her gaze strict and piercing. She was inches from his face, so close that Félix for the first time noticed the splatter of tiny freckles dotting the tops of her cheeks. In an authoritative and penetrating tone that he could have sworn he could feel in his ribcage, she commanded, “Now bend. Your. Knees.”

She flicked his mask back down and returned to her previous position and stance, tilting her head at him to do the same. If she’d left his visor up, she might have noticed, amidst all the grumbling and hesitant obeying of her orders, the faint blush tainting his cheeks.

Unbeknownst to the both of them, a tiny black butterfly by the window fluttered away, the mood of its victim having suddenly improved.

-

Félix panted heavily, praising any existing deity above for finally ending the grueling hour of classes. Kagami gave him no respite for being a beginner, and he could already feel the cramps in his right arm. Albeit strict, she was a good teacher. She knew exactly how fencing should be performed, and where to focus to teach him as much as possible in a short time. As expected of a Tsurugi.

Adrien jogged up to him, Marinette in tow. She seemed to be a bit more comfortable after getting in the groove of things, but her smile faltered at Kagami’s neutral stare. 

“You look like you had a rough time,” Adrien chuckled, having rarely seen his cousin so winded and sweaty, “Kagami’s pretty serious about fencing, but she’s very good at it. You got the best teacher in the class.”

He smiled at her, and Kagami’s head ducked down shyly, her expression molding into a soft grin that left Félix stunned. He never imagined the frosty heiress could be capable of looking at anyone like that. She really did like Adrien, and even though he knew she’d hate it, he couldn’t help but feel pity for her situation.

“So are the two of you getting along now?” Adrien looked between the two of them.

“I suppose?” Félix shrugged, not quite clear on what their standing was right now. After letting her drill him so hard the entire lesson, surely he’d made up for any transgressions by now.

He waited with bated breath as Kagami seemed to still, contemplating something. There was a shift in her eyes, and she took a deep breath, as if about to leap off a high ledge. She stared straight at Adrien and declared stiffly, “I would hope so, considering we’re betrothed.”

Silence. And then…

“What!?” It was Marinette, surprisingly, who freaked out, her arms flailing around her wildly, “But you’re-, but he’s-, but I-“

“Oh!” Adrien was shocked, but seemed to take it in stride, “So this was the secret business thing you guys were up to,” Then, his eyes narrowed, “Wait, is dad making you do this? And your mom…”

“It was a mutual decision,” Kagami assured him. Her stiff posture appeared stoic, but to Félix it seemed forced, and brittle. As if she could crack at any moment, “You don’t have to worry, Adrien. Félix and I may argue, but we’re both happy with this arrangement.”

Even Marinette squinted her eyes in disbelief at that statement, but Adrien ate it up gladly, “Well in that case, congratulations! The two of you look really good together!”

A rigid smile forced its way onto Kagami’s face, “Thank you, Adrien. Now, I must be taking my leave. My schedule is very busy.”

She hurriedly began to pack her things away and fled back into the locker room. At one point, she almost fumbled when shoving her notebook back into her bag. Félix watched after her in concern and excused himself to follow.

He inched open the door to the locker room slowly and had one foot in when he heard the recognizable sound of quiet, choked back crying. It reminded him yet again of how human and…normal Kagami really was. Félix froze in the doorway, positive she wouldn’t want him to see her like this and started wondering if it wasn’t too late to turn back. He didn’t get a choice.

“I know you’re there, Agreste,” she spat, quickly sitting up and wiping the tears on her face. Even when glimmering with wetness, her eyes were striking, piercing through whatever they landed on.

“I, erm,” Félix stumbled, somewhat put off that he was so often at a loss for words when dealing with Kagami, “I’m not sure if such an offer would be welcome, coming from me, but if you wish to lay out your grievances, or er, rant. I’m willing to lend an ear.”

Kagami laughed sardonically, “How low I must have fallen, if I’m reduced to leaning on someone like you,” then she sighed, blinking away the last of her tears, “It’s just…he didn’t care at all. Even less than I expected him to. It just made me realize how shallow any of the attraction I thought he had for me was. I was never anything more than a second choice. A rebound.”

“Then he wasn’t the right person for you,” Félix supplied, “You don’t seem like the kind of person to settle for second place. Although I’m not sure if the situation with me will be any better. Neither of us particularly care for each other.”

“No, we don’t,” Kagami agreed, but her tone was lighter now, and she even offered a small smile, “However, you aren’t as bad as I thought, Agreste. I admit, I misjudged you at first. I was biased by my frustrations about the engagement itself and treated you unfairly. I apologize.”

“In that case, we’re both guilty,” Félix sat down beside her, crossing his legs as elegantly as he could while in a fencing uniform, “I suggest we start over.”

He removed the cloth glove from one hand and held it out to her. Kagami stared dumbly at it for only a second before reaching out and grasping it, giving it a firm shake.

Outside the locker room, yet another black butterfly was turned away.

-

Hawkmoth stewed in his atrium, Nathalie patiently rattling off the day’s schedule to him amidst his foul mood.

“Twice today, I was so close, yet twice her mood improved. How could this be? It was so easy last time, a single picture with Lila was enough to akumatize her. What has changed?”

“Perhaps she’s being distracted,” Nathalie answered, “The changes are sudden this time, as if something took her attention away from her own sorrows. There is another factor occupying her mind every time, before she can think too much about Adrien.”

“Perhaps,” Hawkmoth agreed, still somewhat dissatisfied, “But what could it be?”

-

Kagami took in a deep breath of fresh air as she left the gymnasium. Félix and Adrien’s limousine was already driving off. Despite her earlier insistence, her schedule wasn’t actually occupied. She didn’t feel up to doing anything else that day anyway. She stopped in her tracks once she got to the bottom of the school steps. 

The last person she expected was waiting there for her, waving awkwardly.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she stated blankly, “What are you doing here?”

“Um…well…” the other girl was still struggling to string together a sentence, “I just…I didn’t know you and Félix were engaged.”

“It was a recent development,” Kagami looked at her suspiciously, “Why? Are you here to taunt me about it? Well congratulations, despite doing nothing, you’ve won. I won’t be getting in between yourself and Adrien any longer.”

“No!” Marinette stomped, and Kagami found herself stepping back in shock. With her suddenly acquired backbone, Dupain-Cheng crossed her arms and marched up to her, “Of course I’m not happy about this! It’s…it’s horrible to be forced to marry someone you don’t like. A stranger you barely know. I wouldn’t be able to do it, especially when I like Adrien so much, so I don’t know how you can! I just wanted to say…” she trailed off and finished sorry, “That I’m sorry about it. About everything. This must suck for you.”

Kagami continued gaping at her in a way very unbefitting of a Tsurugi, but she couldn’t help it. Despite their bad blood, this girl was still trying to comfort her, apologizing for something she didn’t really have a hand in. A moment went by, and she felt herself come to a realization. 

She’d always looked down on Marinette, for hesitating, for being weak, and simply for having Adrien’s attention. But despite all the areas in which Kagami excelled, there was one thing which Marinette had that she certainly didn’t.

“You’re very kind,” the fencer finally admitted out loud, smiling sadly as opposite her, Marinette’s big blue eyes grew even wider in shock, “I can see why Adrien likes you so much now.”

“Wh-whaaaat?” To her amusement, the pigtailed girl began to shake her head furiously, “Adrien doesn’t like me. Well, like, as a friend. We’re friends. Ya know, but like, he doesn’t like me that way, like in a _like_ like way.”

“No, I’m pretty certain he does,” Kagami quirked a brow, “He’s always been in love with another girl, and it’s you.”

“But he told _me_ that he liked someone else too!”

This stopped Kagami in her tracks. Marinette continued on, not noticing how uncharacteristically shocked the Tsurugi was.

“I always thought it was you, before today. Since he didn’t really seem to care that you and Félix were- oh wait! I’m so sorry! It’s really insensitive of me to say that, isn’t it? But like, you get what I mean. I thought it was you, and now I don’t know who it is! I just hope it isn’t Chloé. Or worse, Lila. But I’m pretty sure he doesn’t like Lila. He knows she’s a huge liar, after all-”

“I still think it’s you,” Kagami interrupted her, finally getting over her surprise, “Or at the very least, I’d rather it was you than his other options. Regardless, it isn’t any of my business anymore. I’m engaged now.”

Marinette’s eyes softened, “Hey, if you ever want someone to commiserate with, I’m here. Honestly, you were right. I’m pretty hopeless myself. I can’t even talk to Adrien properly. I wish I could be as brave as you when it comes to him.”

Kagami fiddled with her gym bag, still unused to being treated so nicely by Dupain-Cheng of all people. It certainly was a strange day for her today. In any case, even Félix was able to apologize to her. She wasn’t going to lose to him in this aspect.

“I’m sorry about how I’ve treated you before, Marinette,” she admitted, watching the way the other girl flustered about at the unexpected apology, “I think I’ve misunderstood you a lot. I wish I didn’t let my feelings for Adrien get in the way of becoming friends with you.”

“We still could be,” Marinette offered shyly, “Friends, you know?”

Kagami nodded, then this time took the initiative to offer her hand first. Marinette didn’t hesitate in taking it.  



	5. Garde

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watched the Ikari Gozen leaks cause I couldn't resist. Without saying any spoilers, I really enjoyed it.
> 
> Sadly, for the sake of plot continuity, this fic won't be following canon so I'll be treating some episodes like they didn't happen.

When Félix woke up that morning, it was to the blaring of his phone’s notification. He blinked sleepily at the blindingly bright screen in the darkness, sending a heated glare at the display that read ‘6:06AM’. Tapping on the despicable notification that interrupted his sleep, he was greeted with the first text he’s ever received from Kagami.

**Kagami:**

**Dear Félix,**

**We will be going on a date today. I will be picking you up from your front gate at 2pm. Do not be late.  
There is no dress code, but please make sure you have comfortable footwear.**

**Sincerely,  
Kagami**

Félix could feel his eye twitch as he stared at the contents of the message. He replied irritably.

 **Félix: Have you never sent a text message before in your life?  
** **Félix: It’s not a formal letter. Just type normally.**  
 **Félix: And usually when you ask someone on a date, it’s supposed to be a request, not a demand.**  
 **Félix: Lastly, 6 o clock is NOT a reasonable time to be texting someone! Why aren’t you asleep?**

The ‘Kagami is typing...’ notification went on for a good few minutes before she finally responded.

**Kagami: Why did you send four separate messages when you could have simply sent one? That seems inefficient. Of course I’ve never texted anyone before. My mother is blind, remember? When I need to contact her, I call. Unfortunately, this date will be mandatory. My mother demanded that I take you out to a public location since the news of our engagement will be released today and she wants our relationship to be believable. Naturally, it would be more beneficial for the respective images of both our families if we pretend to actually be in love, rather than practicing something as archaic as an arranged marriage (which is the thing that we are actually doing). I apologize for the early timing of my message. I usually wake up this early for kendo practice.**

**Félix: This is how normal people text. Nobody sends whole paragraphs.  
** **Félix: Do you have any contacts other than your mother and myself?**  
 **Félix: You’ve never even texted Adrien?**  
 **Félix: No, wait, forgive me for asking that. It was insensitive.**  
 **Félix: I will meet you at 2.**

 **Kagami: Thank you.  
** **Kagami: I don’t actually have Adrien’s number. I was only allowed to keep yours because you’re my fiancé.**  
 **Kagami: I will see you at 2pm.**

-

Félix was still feeling some sense of pity when the time came and the Tsurugi’s signature red limousine rolled up in front of the Agreste mansion. He couldn’t consider himself a sociable person, but that was by choice, rather than circumstance. People approached him, usually drawn to his wealth, or name, or embarrassed as he was to admit it, his looks. He’d kept them at an arms length on purpose because he loathed mingling with others. They were loud and noisy, and he’d rather keep to himself. But he still knew how to interact with people when need be. Kagami, he realized now, was different from him.

She stepped out from the limousine, and Félix paused mid stride. Her usual blazer and plaid skirt combo having been traded in for a ruffled red blouse and a knee-length black A-line. He was somewhat taken aback that she’d actually dressed up for this and fiddled uncomfortably with the hem of his grey dress shirt. He wasn’t dressed any less formally than her, but it wasn’t any different from what he’d wear on a usual day. Kagami didn’t take note of his awkwardness as she held open the door for him, ushering him inside.

“What a gentleman,” he quipped sarcastically, but the upturn in his lips told her it was in good nature.

“You’re welcome, my lady,” Kagami returned with a smirk, before shuffling in beside him.

“It’s certainly…red in here,” Félix looked around the interior of the limousine, startling as it took off suddenly, without a driver, or even any instruction from Kagami, “It’s self-driving?”

“Yes, my mother already programmed it to take us to the right location,” Kagami answered, and Félix noted with some melancholy that she didn’t mention programming the car herself, and likely wasn’t even allowed to.

“So where are we headed?” He asked, changing the subject.

“The Louvre,” Félix raised an unimpressed brow and Kagami sighed, “Yes, I know. It’s not very creative, is it? But it’s busy, and we’ll be seen together there. My mother insisted.”

“This feels more like a business social than a date.”

“If you think this is a bad date, you should have been there for mine with Adrien,” Kagami scoffed bitterly, “He ended up inviting Marinette then ran off with her half way through. Then an akuma attacked.”

“Well,” Félix was nonplussed and somewhat ticked off at his cousin, “That does sound horrible. Let’s hope that at least there won’t be an akuma this time.”

-

Two hours later, the two of them were hiding out in the European decorative arts department of the museum while a flock of pigeons ransacked the room.

“I think you jinxed it,” Kagami remarked, crouched by side behind the large glass display of the sword of Charlemagne. Next to her, Félix looked uncharacteristically freaked out.

“I’ve heard that some of these akumas were unconventional, but pigeons? Really?” Félix tried his best to hide his panic at the absurdity of the situation, especially since Kagami was so calm about it. Still, even though he’d seen the news footages and videos online, this was his first time experiencing an akuma in person. Unlike the citizens of Paris, he was not used to being attacked by murderous birds.

“What’s wrong? Scared?” Kagami teased, making him flush in embarrassment, “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

“I don’t need your protection-OW!“ Félix was about to retort before a bird smacked into the back of his head. He rubbed the sore spot, no longer trying to hide his anxiety as he scooted closer to Kagami’s side, one hand shooting out to grab her sleeve, “Is it just me, or are there more of them now?”

“Hm, they seem to be concentrating at the Louvre,” she looked around the room. If the situation got more dangerous, it seemed she really would have to find a way to defend the two of them, “Monsieur Pigeon might be planning something here.”

“Monsieur Pigeon?” Félix’s lips curled in disbelief, “Is that his actual name?”

Kagami gave the glass case of the display they were hiding behind a few experimental taps, then began removing her heels, “Believe it or not, I was once akumatized into someone called “Oni-chan”. I blame anime.”

Then, before Félix could respond, she rammed the heel of her shoe into the glass display case, hard. To his shock, it actually shattered. For such a small person, Kagami was much stronger than she looked. With a few more smashes, she broke open a hole large enough for her to reach in and extract the item displayed inside: the sword of Charlemagne.

“What are you doing!?” This, for some reason, freaked Félix out even more than the rabid pigeons, “That’s a priceless artifact!”

“I need something to defend us with. Besides, the Miraculous Ladybug will fix everything,” Kagami waved off his concerns and raised the sword threateningly at the pigeons, “Now, I’d rather not hurt you, little pigeons. But I won’t hesitate to if I have to.”

Obviously, since pigeons couldn’t understand human language, they rushed her anyway.

Kagami instinctively shot out one arm to keep Félix behind her and positioned herself in front, raising the blade to take most of the assault. The sword itself was old enough not to be particularly sharp, but she still used the blunt edge if possible to knock out any pigeons that got too close. Even if they’d be revived if killed, she didn’t particularly want blood on her hands. Luckily, they were only buffeted briefly before, to her surprise, all the pigeons rushed out the windows, fleeing the building. From outside, they could hear the voices of the akuma arguing with the two superheroes, so it seemed that the pigeons had been called away to confront Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Félix just stared at her back, confident and unwavering, as she wielded the sword with such ease and grace it was as if it was made for her and not dead French kings. She looked almost dashing, like a prince in a fairy-tale. Was this what being a damsel in distress felt like?

“Hm. That was easy,” she remarked, before turning to a stunned Félix who was just sitting there. Staring at her, “What’s wrong? Did you get hurt.”

“Oh, uh,” he coughed into his hand, averting his eyes, “No. No, I’m fine, thanks to you. You’re very good with a sword.”

Kagami tilted her head in confusion, “Of course I am. I’m a Tsurugi.”

“No, what I mean is that…you’re remarkable. Truly,” he seemed to get more embarrassed the more he tried to compliment her, “You aren’t even a hero, but you’re so strong. It’s kind of amazing to watch.”

“Oh,” Kagami blinked, suddenly feeling heat rush to her face. She turned away, quickly, telling herself that it was simply an unusual reaction to hearing Félix say something charming, for once, “It’s nothing special. I’ve had a lot of training.”

Self-consciously, she looked at the hand that grasped the hilt of the sword. It was rough and calloused, a physical reminder of the countless hours of training she’d undergone. She didn’t have any particularly feminine hobbies like Marinette did. Hers were hands for grasping blades and notching arrows. They were not the elegant hands of someone who sewed.

Just then, an announcement blared over the intercoms, “Attention all patrons! The akuma alert has been lifted! Ladybug and Chat Noir have defeated the akuma, and we will be lifting lockdown shortly!”

On cue, a brilliant light swept through the room, righting all the fallen displays and damage wrought by the pigeons. The sword left Kagami’s hand and reappeared in the once again intact display case. She gave Félix a smug I-told-you-so look as it happened.

“Fine. I suppose things ended up okay,” he sighed, “Still, it seems like your second date didn’t go much better than your first.”

“I disagree. At least you didn’t run off with another girl,” Kagami joked, but her eyes weren’t smiling, “I think we should cut our day short. We’ve had enough excitement, and with the media attention from the attack, I’m certain the journalists will have enough material for the announcement of our engagement. I don’t think they’ll be re-opening the museum anyway.”

“You’re so used to this.”

“Naturally. The pigeon man in particular is akumatized quite frequently. This isn’t even the first time he attacked the Louvre. Once you’ve been here long enough, you’ll be used to it too.”

He hoped so. His heart was still beating rapidly as the two of them began making their way to the nearest emergency exit. He spared a glance at the girls walking beside him. She was so small, barely coming up to his chest. Standing this close to him, he could clearly see the top of her head, silky short strands bobbing cutely as she walked. No, wait. Not cute. She wasn’t cute. Honestly, she was kind of terrifying, in that awe-inspiring way. All he managed to do today was sit frozen beside her while she defended him. He couldn’t stand that feeling of helplessness. It was a smear upon his pride.

As expected, once they left the building, they were greeted with a swarm of media attention. Though it seemed most of them were there to report on the aftermath of the akuma attack, a few journalists perked their heads up at the sudden appearance of the Tsurugi heiress and a, albeit lesser known, member of the Agreste family.

Kagami stood still, not really sure how to act. Félix smirked. At least in terms of dealing with people like this, he had more experience.

He slipped his hand into hers, leaning down to whisper in her ear, “Do it for the cameras.”

She didn’t look happy about that, but she didn’t pull away, either. The two of them continued to evacuate, hand in hand. Like the rest of her, Kagami’s hand was tiny, but her grip was strong. Her dedication to the sword was written in the strength of that hand, and each scar and callus. Her personality showed through in her every action. Her straight-backed posture and elegant, carefully measured steps. The slight frown she constantly wore that made her look so unfriendly. Kagami Tsurugi was a person of no lies, and so easy to read.

Like now, in the way her eyes would glance at their conjoined hands ever so often, self-consciously. It was cute- No. Once again, _not cute_. He had to stop thinking that.

Too soon, they had reached the edge of the street, where Kagami’s limo was not waiting, since they left the museum ahead of schedule.

“I’ll call my mother,” Kagami frowned, looking as if speaking to Tomoe was the last thing she wanted to do.

“We could walk,” Félix offered.

“It’s almost an hour away.”  
“I could use the exercise.”

That part wasn’t completely false. Though he kept himself in enough shape to be healthy, his level of fitness couldn’t compare to Adrien’s. He didn’t practice any sports at a competitive level, though he was decent at most regardless.

“Fine,” Kagami accepted, “We’ll pass by Marinette’s bakery on the way. I’ve yet to visit it, and since we’re friends now, I want to try one of those famed macarons.”

Félix didn’t particularly care about seeing Marinette. She seemed like yet another incompetent girl who fell for his cousin, probably again due to some kind act of his that he wasn’t even aware of. Maybe he picked up her eraser, or held a door open for her, or lent her and umbrella or something. He was pretty neutral to the girl, and even felt a bit guilty about purposely invoking her name to antagonize Kagami early on. Now, though, if her soft smile was anything to go by, Kagami seemed actually eager to see the baker’s daughter.

“As you wish. However, one thing before we go,” Félix stepped around her, positioning himself between her and any watchful eyes crowding the museum behind them. It wasn’t difficult, since he easily dwarfed her in stature. Then, he bent down and laid a chaste kiss on her cheek. However, from the perspective of the crowd, it could easily have been on the lips. Before she could get angry, he whispered appeasingly, “For the cameras.”

Kagami kept blinking at him for a bit, her face pinking slightly. She quickly ducked her head, suddenly shy. Félix felt a faint sense of victory. See, Adrien? You’re not the only one that can make her do that.

“Very well then,” Kagami nodded stiffly after having composed herself, “Let’s be on our way now.”

She tightened the grip on his hand and tugged him along. And if their hands remained interlocked a bit too long after they’d disappeared from the museum’s line of sight, neither of them deigned to say anything about it.

-

Kagami had always thought Adrien Agreste was the most charming boy in the world. He was polite and kind, and always the gentleman. However, in retrospect, he was often only following in his father’s footsteps. If Gabriel Agreste offered his hand to Tomoe Tsurugi, then Adrien would do the same to her. Otherwise, he treated her as he would any other friend.

Félix, on the other hand, was independent. He didn’t need to take cues from anyone. He walked on the side of the sidewalk closest to the street, instinctively opened doors for her and stepped aside so she could enter, and escorted her into the Dupain-Cheng bakery with a soft hand on her lower back. She supposed that was the difference between someone who was her friend, and someone who was her fiancé. Even now, that word felt foreign and strange. It still hadn’t sunk in completely that she was to marry this man, but now the thought didn’t disgust her as much as it did before.

Marinette was behind the counter when they entered, and her big blue eyes lit up in delight when she spotted them.

“Kagami!” She cheered, waving cheerfully, then noticed her partner and stiffened, “Oh, and Félix too! Um, hi!”

“We’d like to purchase some macarons,” Kagami smiled at her, “Forgive me if Félix is scaring you. His face just looks like that.”

“What’s wrong with my face?” Félix sniffed at her.

“Nothing. You’re very handsome,” the Tsurugi answered offhandedly, not noticing how her statement made the blond turn pink. It was simply a fact, after all, “But your eyes naturally glare at things. You’ve said it yourself before.”

“I don’t think you’re one to talk about resting bitch face.”

“Don’t swear in front of Marinette. You’ll corrupt her.”

Marinette watched in amazement as the two of them bickered. Though they still traded barbs, the atmosphere wasn’t as genuinely hateful as it was before. They seemed like actual friends, though ones with a sense of rivalry between them.

“You two bicker like an old married couple,” she ended up interrupting them once their argument got around to which flavour of macaron was superior. Kagami insisted on chocolate, Félix called her boring and said it was walnut, then Kagami told him he had the tastes of an old man. Marinette decided to just pack them two of each.

“Wonderful,” Félix scoffed with a roll of his eyes, “So once we’re old, I’m still going to have to deal with this.”

“Don’t worry. As soon as I take over the Tsurugi family, I’m divorcing you,” Kagami smirked. But to her surprise, there was no retort. She glanced back at Félix, who looked stunned, his impeccably straight brows having shot up into his hairline. Even Marinette was eyeing him curiously. Kagami asked, “What is it?”

“I…” Félix slowly recaptured his bearings, “I just didn’t think of that. I suppose we do have that option, don’t we?”

“I suppose it will depend on how unbearable of a husband you will be,” Kagami reached out to pay for the macarons, but Félix stepped forward and held her wrist back.

“I’ll get these. You paid for the museum tickets.”  
“It’s courtesy for the one who invited the other to pay, is it not? I invited you to both the museum and the bakery, therefore I will pay.”  
“It’s not like either of us are using our own money, anyway. Our families are obscenely rich. Just let me get the macarons.”  
“Marinette is my friend, so I’ll be paying her.”  
“That doesn’t even have anything to do with this.”

As they continued to argue, while Marinette tried hopelessly to butt in and tell them it was on the house, Félix managed to brush Kagami’s earlier statement to the back of his mind.

However, once he’d been dropped back at the Agreste mansion, and Kagami’s limousine drove off, further and further until it disappeared, he couldn’t help but wonder if she’d actually do it. Would she one day leave this marriage and disappear from his life entirely? It made sense for her to. She didn’t care for him. This entire thing was a farce her mother was forcing her into. And he…he didn’t care for her either. Did he?

Félix’s heart was still beating hard. Ever since the Louvre, it never stopped. No. It was just the aftershock of the akuma attack. The suspension bridge effect. He was mistaking his fear during the situation for something else.

After all, Félix Agreste had never loved anyone before, and he wasn’t going to start.


	6. Corps-à-corps

Kagami fixed the collar on her dress for the umpteenth time, still grimacing at herself in the mirror. Taunting her from the table was today’s newspaper, littered with folds as if someone had crumpled it between their hands in a fit of rage. It was her. She was the one who crumpled it.

The headline above a misleading photo that showed Félix leaning down to kiss her (cheek) read: ‘A Surprising Match-up: the Tsurugis Settle’. It was one of those garbage publishers that could barely be called journalism. She really shouldn’t even have bothered with it. It spouted nothing but nonsense about how despite being seen with Adrien Agreste constantly, Kagami was snubbed and dumped off to a lesser known cousin. The journalist didn’t fail to add in a few quips about how lucky they were that the dashing model would still be a bachelor, and how Kagami should still be grateful since Félix was still out of her league. After that it dissolved into some obscene rant from what was supposedly an adult female journalist about the supine good looks of an underaged teenage boy. She had called Félix to complain about what were clearly inappropriate predatory practices, and he wasn’t even phased.

“You have no idea what the bored and spoiled housewives of rich businessmen think they can get away with hitting on,” He had said it with such distaste that Kagami could easily visualize the pompous roll of his eyes and the soft, tired sigh he punctuated his sentences with whenever he was fed up with something, “I got used to it after following my uncle to enough business functions.”

Kagami didn’t think it was something to get used to. She had decided to read the article to her mother, and perhaps suggest taking legal action against this joke of a reporter. Instead, her mother had zeroed in on the lines that disparaged Kagami for her apparently subpar looks and commanded her daughter to make herself more presentable from now on. And cover up those distasteful freckles for her engagement party.

With their typical efficiency, or perhaps more precisely, Nathalie’s, the Agrestes and Tsurugis had planned, scheduled, and announced their official engagement party merely hours after the media outlets were given the signal to break the news. In an unnatural show of grace, Gabriel had even allowed the Agreste mansion to be used as the venue, perhaps as a means of compensation for supplanting Adrien with Félix in the first place.

The clock on the wall read 6:45PM. They had to leave soon. Kagami fidgeted with her collar one last time and, deciding that her current appearance would have to suffice, with her freckles covered by concealer she didn’t really know how to use, left for the limousine, where her mother was waiting to scold her for not being down faster.

“We cannot give anyone the impression that the Tsurugis have a habit of being tardy to their own engagement party. Furthermore-“

Brrring. Her mother was interrupted by a sudden ringtone from the cellphone in Kagami’s hand.

“Who is that?” Tomoe snapped sharply, “I’m sure you remember my policy on keeping frivolous contacts.”

“It’s just Félix,” Kagami hurriedly assured.

“Good,” Her mother nodded once, firmly, “Then you may answer.”

Kagami received the call cautiously, wary of her mother’s presence, “Good evening, Félix. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Your mother is there, isn’t she? You’re never this polite to me,” Félix was always quick on the uptake, “Then I assume you’re on your way here?”

“Yes,” Kagami answered for both questions.

“I see,” Félix paused, and another tired sigh followed, “So I must apologize. I’m sure you know that my uncle usually never allows people into the mansion. Adrien has rarely ever had friends over, and in the cases he did, it was always behind his back.”

“You let him invite a bunch of people, didn’t you?” Félix wasn’t the only astute one in the relationship.

“Uncle Gabriel gave me full access to the guest list, and you know how Adrien has those puppy dog eyes, right? They’re horribly convincing.”

“No, they’re not. You just have a soft spot for him.”

“Will you stop being so blunt and let me have plausible deniability for once?” Félix sniffed, “In any case, you don’t mind, do you? I know the last time you met his friends it didn’t exactly end well, much of that being my fault.”

“I’m over it,” Kagami shrugged, and it was true, “Their opinions don’t matter to me, regardless. Does this mean Marinette will be there?”

“I don’t think she’d miss it for the world,” Félix chuckled, then turned serious, “Will you be alright with that? Marinette coming to see Adrien…”

“Of course I will be. She probably suits him better, in any case. She’s a nice person.”

“So are you.”

“Don’t make me laugh,” Kagami paused to watch the Agreste mansion roll into view, “We’re almost there. I’ll see you soon.”

Then, without waiting for a response, she ended the call. Kagami couldn’t help checking over her appearance in the car window. It was pointless. Her mother was blind, and wouldn’t even be able to tell if she missed a freckle or two. Still, she’d never been so exposed to the public eye before. Kagami was used to being well known only as a face behind her mother, in smaller circles of the riche, and in the world of fencing. Suddenly her name was popping up in dumb tabloids, and she couldn’t help but feel self-conscious, even if she knew they didn’t matter. She had to have self confidence. She was a Tsurugi.

Suddenly, the window was moving away as the car door opened. Kagami blinked in surprise. She hadn’t even noticed that they’d arrived. Félix was standing before her, one hand on the open door, and the other reaching out to her, palm up. He was the most formal she’d ever seen him, dressed in a perfectly tailored navy three-piece.

Jolting herself out of her temporary shock, Kagami gave him a tiny smile and placed her hand in his as he escorted her out of her car. The smile dropped the instant the first cameras started flashing, and Félix’s own displeasure showed in the way his grip on her hand tightened. There was a row of reporters standing outside the gates. Some of them were shouting questions about the first Agreste house party in years, others about their relationship.

“Don’t worry, they aren’t actually allowed inside,” Félix leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I made sure of it.”

“Thank you,” Kagami breathed a sigh of relief.

Félix let go of her hand only briefly to similarly escort her mother from the limo. The three of them proceeded into the mansion in awkward silence punctuated only by the steady tap of Tomoe’s shinai on the ground. Kagami felt the relief settle into her shoulders the moment they entered the doors and Gabriel came to whisk Tomoe away for what was likely more business discussions.

When she turned to Félix, she was surprised to find that he was already staring at her intently.

“What?”

“I, er,” he began fumbling nervously with his cufflinks, and his gaze avoided hers, lingering somewhere up to the ceiling over her shoulder. Kagami turned back in the direction of his attention. There was nothing there. “I was just thinking, whenever you mother leaves, your disposition relaxes instantly. Is she that bad?”

Kagami sighed, “I don’t know. I just know that I can’t stand up to her. I’m much too weak to face her.”

“Let’s stop talking about her, then,” Félix offered her a flute of a drink off a passing tray, “Here, I think this one is non-alcoholic.”

“You think?” Kagami deadpanned.

To her horror, Félix proceeded to take a sip of the mysterious beverage, “I was wrong. This is champagne. I’m positive there’s ginger ale around here somewhere though.”

“You’re not eighteen yet,” Kagami narrowed her eyes at him. She knew Félix had a few years on her, but last she checked, he still wasn’t legal.

“Oh, that’s right. I’m not in Germany anymore,” he blinked uncharacteristically dumbly down at the glass. Why was he so out of it suddenly?

Before Kagami could say anything else, they were interrupted by the tell-tale thump of an approximately Marinette-sized girl tripping over something and falling to the floor.

Kagami swiveled quickly and went over to offer her help, but this time, Adrien beat her to it. The blonde already had one hand on her shoulder and was hoisting her to her feet. Kagami stopped short, trying not to pay attention to the blatant concern and affection in Adrien’s eyes. Luckily, she felt her breathing even once Félix’s presence pulled up behind her. Behind Marinette, an unfortunately familiar girl was hiding a smirk behind her hand. So the Francois-Dupont students had arrived.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Lila Rossi cried with fake worry, “I must have been standing in your way. I didn’t expect you to bump into me.”

“Are you sure you didn’t trip her on purpose?” Kagami questioned without skipping a beat. Marinette’s eyes widened in shock, as did Adrien’s. Félix merely looked between her and Lila, surely already piecing together the circumstances of their relationship.

“Of course I didn’t!” Lila waved her off, “You know how silly Marinette is. So clumsy.”

Marinette’s shoulder tensed, and Adrien must have felt it from where he was still holding them.

“Alright Lila, isn’t that enough?” He spoke up gently, “Let’s just move on, okay?”

“Sure thing, Adrien,” she giggled, and immediately latched herself onto his arm, “I’ve been so excited about tonight. Thank you so much for inviting me.”

“He invited everyone,” Marinette muttered, again too quiet to be heard.

“I heard there’d be ballroom dancing tonight. That’s so classy. I picked out this dress especially for the occasion,” She gave a twirl to show off what was probably a convincing off-brand, “It’s Versace. What’s yours, Marinette?”

Marinette crossed her arms in defiance and Kagami felt a little proud of her on the inside when she proudly stated, “I made it myself, of course.”

“Oh, wow!” Lila chuckled in condescension, “That’s so very you, Marinette. It’s so…quaint and rustic.”

If the clenching of her fists and what sounded like an actual growl was anything to go by, the only thing stopping Marinette from rushing over and trying to pull out Lila’s hair right that minute was Adrien’s hand on her shoulder.

“I think your dress is very nice,” Kagami piped up and the two shared a smile, “Perhaps I should ask you to make me one for my next event.”

“Excuse me?” Félix huffed in obviously fake contempt, “What makes you think you’ll be wearing anything other than Agreste from now on?”

The four of them shared a laugh at that, or in Félix and Kagami’s case, vague smiles, and Lila’s eyes narrowed at being left out.

“Anyway,” she interrupted, “Won’t you dance with me, Adrien? I actually took personal lessons from a world class dancer, you know?”

Adrien seemed to start sweating nervously, but didn’t try to pull away from her, “Well, if it’s only one dance…”

Kagami could almost pull her hair out from frustration, watching him turn back to stare at Marinette longingly, and Marinette staring sadly back, glued in her own place. With a roll of her eyes, she put one hand on the pigtailed girl’s back, and shoved. As expected, Marinette stumbled forward, nearly falling over again.

“Didn’t you already ask Marinette to dance, Adrien?” She called out.

Adrien looked back at her, confused. Kagami stared back, trying to make her intent known. Why couldn’t he just read her as well as Félix could? She made purposeful glances at Marinette, and Adrien continued to do nothing, until Félix rolled his eyes and spoke out in perfectly accented Chinese:

“她说你应该假装.” (She’s saying you should fake it.)

Adrien’s eyes lit up in understanding, “Oh, right. I did. Yes, I already promised Marinette to dance. Sorry Lila, gotta go!”

He practically bounded over to Marinette and dragged her off to the dancefloor like a man running away for his life.

“What did you say to him?” Lila’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“So, you’re Lila?” Félix asked in turn, completely ignoring her question, “The one that’s currently supposed to be in Nepal, climbing Mount Everest?”

“Oh, that,” the liar placed a finger on her chin, “I already finished the climb. I’m a very experienced climber, so it wasn’t that difficult for me.”

“Really?” Félix’s mouth twisted into a wry smirk, like a cat that had cornered a mouse, “You should have just said you gave up. It’d be much more believable.”

“What? I’m not lying,” Lila batted her eyelashes up at a completely unaffected Félix, “I never lie.”

“Summer vacation only started a few weeks ago. Is that when you went to Nepal?”

“Yes, but I really did do it in a few weeks. Only one, really. I mean, it’s just a mountain.”

“Do you know what base camps are, miss Layla?”

“It’s Lila.”

“I don’t care.”

Kagami had to stifle a laugh. It surprised even herself, but this was just too entertaining.

“Mount Everest has several base camps situated en route to its summit,” Félix began to explain, the blatant distaste in his tone making him sound even more pompous than usual, “Each climber needs to stay for several days at each base camp on their way up to acclimatize the human body to the higher altitude, which is why average ascent time to the summit is approximately two months. It would be impossible for a normal middle school girl to make that climb in a single week. Therefore, unless you are a genius climber, in which case I should be able to pull up your accomplishments on google, you are, in actuality, merely a liar.”

Félix leaned back and crossed his arms, looking very satisfied with himself for the verbal smackdown he’d just laid. Lila just gaped back in return, having been rendered completely silent for once in her life.

“Now,” he continued, “Please leave the premises. I am officially taking you off the guest list, since I don’t plan on entertaining liars at my engagement party.”

-

After seeing Rossi properly escorted off the premises, Félix felt completely back in his element: being an asshole.

Admittedly, he’d felt off-kilter ever since he’d walked Kagami into the mansion and, under the proper lighting, got a good look at her appearance that night. Her hair had been smoothed and tucked behind her ears, held back by an intricate butterfly clip and hairpin behind her head. Her dress was a clever fusion of the Taisho roman kimono and modern style, bright red and patterned with large, white flowers. Made by Agreste, of course. The feminine look was such a stark difference from what he was used to, Félix found himself unexpectedly floored. If he had any complaint, it would be that her freckles were hidden under the makeup. He actually found them rather cute-no. Not cute. They were not cute and Kagami was not cute and he had to stop thinking about how beautiful and cute she looked.

Lila proved to be a nice distraction. He’d met many pathological liars and swindlers in his lifetime, and never got tired of laying their deceit out on the table. It helped that Kagami was now looking up at him with stars in her eyes.

“That was wonderful,” She was giggling, truly laughing. Because of him. He made her laugh. “I’m glad that my fiancé at least isn’t a doormat. I would be horrible if I had to shepherd you around all the time, like Adrien.”

“Adrien is nice,” said Félix, “But that’s also his biggest fault. He tries to see the good in everyone, and as a result, they take advantage of his naivety. That’s why so many girls end up liking him, and he doesn’t even realize it. I, on the other hand, will only show kindness to people I actually care about.”

“So, does that include me?” Kagami’s eyes twinkled up at him, a playful smirk on her lips.

“I s-suppose you’re not half bad,” Félix dismissed, flushing as he realized his stutter gave him away, “In any case, Adrien should be safe now. We should let him know.”

“I don’t think we should interrupt him,” the smile on her face turned sad as Kagami nodded her head in the direction of the dancefloor behind them.

Adrien and Marinette were swaying together intimately, their arms wrapped around each other, barely any space between them. The innocent and pure couple, so perfect for each other, unlike himself and Kagami with all their faults and idiosyncrasies. Even so, having Kagami stand here glumly just wouldn’t do. He didn’t know why, but it just wasn’t something he could accept. So Félix did what he did best: look down on other people.

“They call that dancing?” He scoffed, “We could do much better than that.”

He extended his hand to his partner, who raised an amused brow, “You want to show off?”

“Naturally,” Félix answered, “Someone has to show them how it’s done.”

As her response, Kagami graciously placed her hand on top of his, letting the other rest on his shoulder. Félix placed his own at her waist and pulled the both of them out onto the floor.

-

Kagami had to admit, she didn’t expect Félix to be this good at dancing. She herself was classically trained, her mother made sure of it, but Félix seemed like the type to turn his nose up at something so frivolous, something that involved touching other people, especially. Then again, the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Despite his usual stand-offish behaviour, Félix still had that gentleman’s charisma about him. She had never even once seen him dressed anything less than business casual.

He took the lead, waltzing the two of them easily between the other couples, showing off like he promised he would. People were staring at the two of them, and Kagami found she didn’t really mind much. It was fun, much more fun than the strict and inflexible dance practices that her mother forced her to endure.

Then they passed Adrien and Marinette.

Those two didn’t stop and stare. They were too busy looking into each other’s eyes. In their own world, they probably didn’t notice anything else around them. Kagami couldn’t help it. Now she was the one staring forlornly at the pair. Adrien looked happy, so much happier than he could ever be with her. She had no idea how much time passed when there was a sudden push from the hand on her waist and she felt herself stumbling forward into Félix, the side of her cheek hitting his chest.

Her head snapped up in indignation, and she was ready with a snappish remark on her lips, but paused at the stare that Félix leveled at her. It was so unusually intense, the typically cold gaze replaced with something more…warm.

“You’re dancing with _me_ right now,” His voice sounded a whole octave lower, and the growl made something in her chest tingle. Suddenly she was all too aware of how close their bodies were pressed, how his chest rose and fell with each breath, how she could feel the buckle of his belt press into her waist, how close his face was. Were his lashes always this long? They fanned towards the edges of his eyes, maybe this was what made them look so sharp? He was still talking, and she could feel the words vibrate from where her chin touched his chest, “Don’t pay any attention to them. Just look at me.”

And she did. She probably couldn’t look away if she wanted to. Something about the way Félix was staring at her now was enchanting. He stared at her as if she was the only person in the world at that moment. She wouldn’t dare to place it as affection. Félix surely didn’t feel that way about her, the one who was, according to at least one journalist, below his league. Not worthy. Looking at his face now, she could almost see where they were coming from. Félix was handsome. Enough to make adult female journalists disparage a teenage girl out of envy. But more than that, he was always there. Despite her ice queen moniker, he could always read her, and whenever she felt helpless, he was there to help her. He did it all while wearing a mask of cold indifference, but he did it all the same.

He was actually a wonderful fiancé.

As she realized this, Kagami smiled at him, “I’m glad it’s you.”

“What?” Félix blinked.

“I’m glad you’re the one I’m marrying.”

She didn’t elaborate, instead smugly basking in the pink that began to tinge her fiancé’s cheeks. That was another thing. She found that he was actually quite easy to embarrass, should she take the lead. It was…cute? Yes, Kagami decided, it was. Félix Agreste was very cute.

“Naturally,” he continued to be very cute as he looked down to the side and attempted to shrug off her statement, “You should know that I’m an incredibly good catch.”

“Debatable,” Kagami giggled in amusement at the affronted look he returned.

She didn’t miss the mischievous glint that then shone in his eyes.

“Don’t you dare-“ she started, but was cut off mid-sentence as Félix let go of her waist and raised their conjoined hands. He forced her into an expert twirl, catching her again in a low dip.

“You don’t like being spun around?” He teased, righting her again, but his eyes widened as he felt Kagami’s grip on his hand tightened in warning, “Alright, sorry. I won’t do it again. You really are a very dominating woman, you know?”

Kagami just hummed in agreement, “But I think you prefer me this way.”

He didn’t disagree.

-

As the two danced on obliviously through the night, Gabriel Agreste, observed them from the top of the stairs. He had a feeling he knew what was keeping Kagami from succumbing to her negative feelings, now. A newborn affection, of course. He had to admit he was surprised that even Félix was entertaining the thought. He’d made sure to polish his nephew into a proper blade, cold and unfeeling, for the sake of handling the dirty work that Adrien shouldn’t have to sully his hands with in the future.

This was a surprising development. However, it was one he’d be able to use to his advantage, eventually.

For now, he supposed he should encourage the birth of a new couple. It would make the fall so much greater when they’re torn apart.


	7. Engagement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really should hurry up and finish this fic before "Félix" actually airs and ruins all my headcanons lol

It was sweltering. The start of August also marked the beginning of an unbearable Parisian heat wave, and Félix had been reduced to wearing short sleeves for the first time since he arrived. The air conditioning at the Tsurugi Residence was nearly useless since Madame Tsurugi insisted on keeping all their sliding doors open, in line with her preferred classically Japanese aesthetic.

She and his uncle had locked themselves into the meeting room a few minutes ago. Félix had been told that Kagami was at the archery range, then left alone to go find her in an unfamiliar mansion he’d visited exactly once before. He had once thought the Agrestes were unusually low on staff, having employed only a secretary and a bodyguard, but the Tsurugis managed to beat that record with exactly zero human employees. Just as with their car, a computer AI serviced their house, but it again only recognized Tomoe’s voice commands. He’d tried asking for directions to the archery range and failed. Anyone who wasn’t Madame Tsurugi was absolutely powerless here.

Félix didn’t know how Kagami could bear living in a place like this.

Eventually, after wandering around for long enough, he began to hear the sound of thwacks coming from the distance, like arrows hitting wood, and followed the noise into the open courtyard. 

He found Kagami wearing traditional Japanese clothing again: a training uniform of some sort, complete with a chest guard and those hakama pants he only knew the name of because Adrien forced him to watch one too many anime together. She was stunning, so much so that it made him forget the heat for a moment, and just focus on how she looked, standing straight and poised, bow in hand. She didn’t turn back to look at him, but the way she paused to expertly twirl an arrow in her fingers told him she knew he was there. Show off.

“I thought their meeting was scheduled to start ten minutes ago. What took you so long?” She sent a sly grin over her shoulder at him, “Did you get lost?”

“It’s not my fault your estate was designed by a blind woman,” Félix huffed, relaxing into their usual routine of trading barbs, “None of your floorplan makes any sense.”

“Excuses,” Kagami grinned as she set her bow to the side and marched over to him, “I see you’re not very good with the heat. I haven’t seen you sweat this much since fencing practice.”

“Must you bring that up again? I made a complete fool of myself that time,” Félix stewed grumpily in the memory as Kagami picked up a water bottle and began to chug from it. The sight helped remind him just how thirsty he was and how he really could use a nice cold drink of water right then.

“But you’re usually so competent, it’s nice to watch you make a fool of yourself every now and then.”

The corner of Félix’s lip twitched up subconsciously even as he rolled his eyes at her, “Sadist.”

“Fine, I suppose I’ll take pity on you just this once,” Kagami hummed in amusement and tossed her water bottle at him. Félix’s reflexes just barely acted in time to catch the metal canister before it could hit him in the face, “It’s got ice in it. Drink some before you get heatstroke.”

“But this is yours…” Félix stared down at the bottle, wide-eyed.

“Yes? And?”

“You drank from it.”

Kagami shot him a dull, unimpressed look, “We’re not in elementary school anymore, Agreste. I don’t have cooties.”

“You know what? Never mind.” Deciding to stop overthinking it and making things awkward, Félix quickly brought the bottle up to his lips and took a gulp. The ice cold water pouring down his throat was an instant relief from the heat. He sighed, satisfied and refreshed, and returned the bottle to Kagami, trying not to watch too intently as she too took another swig from it.

“So, do you have any idea how long their meeting will last this time?” She asked.

“Who knows? Uncle Gabriel doesn’t even tell me their contents, which is unusual. I’m usually involved in his dirty work. They must be planning to conquer the world or something in there.”

“I wouldn’t put it past them,” Kagami giggled, “Let’s assume they’ll be in there indefinitely then. We should get out of this heat. My room upstairs is usually pretty cool, it’s just the first floor that’s like this because of how open it is.”

“That sounds like the best idea you’ve ever had,” Félix happily followed her as she made her way out of the courtyard, striding through the halls with much more purpose and familiarity than he bumbled his way in with.

“I have plenty of great ideas for making you shut up. Don’t test me, Agreste,” Kagami replied, her voice lilting and lacking any seriousness. She led him up a flight of stairs, and to his relief, the second floor of the building was instantly cooler. They passed through several sets of identical-looking doors before stopping before one that looked the same as all the others. “This one is my room. Can you wait out here for a bit?”

“Why? Got something to hide?”

Kagami frowned at him, “I need to change out of my gear.”

“Oh,” Félix blinked, “Yes. Of course.”

That was how Félix found himself practicing monk-like levels of asceticism as he leaned against the wall outside of Kagami’s bedroom, trying his best not to pay attention to the sounds of rustling clothes coming from within. Seriously, what was wrong with him today? The heat must have seriously gotten to his head.

After what felt like an eternity, and feeling like he was maybe seconds from reaching Nirvana, the door to Kagami’s bedroom creaked open and she waved him in.

Naturally, Félix didn’t expect many other teenagers to have a room as ostentatious as Adrien’s, no matter how eccentric or equally rich they were. There was no climbing wall, or arcade games, at least. There was, however, a somewhat worrisome collection of about two dozen swords along one wall. The rest of the room was styled rather modernly, save for a few hanging wall scrolls and a somewhat excessive amount of red. But the swords. He was certain that if she wanted to, Kagami had the means to kill him in seconds.

“Um…” Félix intoned cleverly.

“Oh, please ignore those,” Kagami actually looked rather embarrassed at the sight, “It was my mother’s insistence. They’re meant to inspire me to follow my warrior roots, or something of the like.”

“So she makes your decorating decisions for you, plans your schedule, decides your fiancé…is there any aspect of your life your mother doesn’t have complete control over?”

Kagami shrugged, “Probably not. However, are you really one to talk? Isn’t Mr. Agreste forcing you into this marriage as well?”

“I owe my uncle,” Félix argued, “Something like this is worth it if I can take advantage of the resources provided by the Agreste name. If I wish to inherit his legacy one day, I’ll have to stay on his good side.”

“The company isn’t going to Adrien?”

“Could you imagine letting Adrien run a business of any kind?” Félix sneered, “The boy still falls for telemarketing scams. Uncle Gabriel might let him be the face of the brand, but he’d run it into the ground in a day if he were allowed to make any executive decisions. From the beginning, I think my uncle had planned to have me taking care of everything from behind the scenes.”

“Do you actually want to?” Kagami asked.

“I can’t say I have an opinion either way. I might as well.”

“I remember you saying that much about our engagement as well. That you didn’t care, since you didn’t like anyone else. Are you sure you won’t come to regret it? You might meet a girl you like some day.”

That, for some reason, really ticked Félix off. Who was she to claim that he’d end up falling for someone else? He planned to remain completely faithful to Kagami- er, to the marriage contract. This was business. He had to remember. No feelings involved.

“I can assure you, that won’t happen,” He responded, trying not to let his irritation seep through and likely failing. Something about being with Kagami made him horrible at lying, “I…am not fond of love. I don’t plan on ever falling in love with anybody.”

Kagami didn’t speak for a moment, something unreadable swimming behind her eyes. Something that even Félix, for once, couldn’t decipher.

“How can you be sure?” She asked, finally.

“Because as far as I’m concerned, love is only a weakness,” Félix answered, almost automatically. He’d had plenty of time in the past to examine his own reasoning on the subject, and had always come to the same conclusion. It was an answer that came as easily to him as his own name. “I saw what it did to my uncle. He was so in love with aunt Emilie, that the moment he lost her, he became a shell of the man he once was. I saw my uncle, who had always been the strongest, most competent man I’ve ever known, wither away into a hermit who rarely even leaves the house, all because of love. I saw it change the way he treated Adrien, too. I don’t plan on letting that ever happen to me. I never want to be in such a vulnerable position, to allow my own well-being to depend on another person like that.”

“You sound like a coward,” Kagami replied matter-of-factly, and Félix stiffened at how harsh she was. Figures, the Tsurugi never was one to mince words. “You can’t avoid things like love just because you’re afraid to lose it or because you’re afraid of getting hurt. Think about it. Wouldn’t Mr. Agreste’s change in behaviour have affected Adrien far more than you? Yet he would never run away from his feelings. He may be oblivious, yes, but he follows his heart.”

“Of course, it all comes back to Adrien Agreste! I get it, Adrien’s perfect, and I’ll never be him. I don’t need you to tell me that!” Félix snapped at her, regretting it instantly when he saw the flicker of alarm on her face. Kagami surely endured enough of people yelling at her while living with Tomoe Tsurugi. It was uncharacteristic of him to even lose his temper like this but for some reason, her words just made him so angry. He was used to being compared to Adrien. Gabriel thought the world of his son and made it no small secret that Félix’s main purpose in life was to serve as his foil, to stand in the shade left from where the sun shone on his golden child. He was used to it, and yet, to hear it from Kagami stung in a way that his uncle’s words never could.

“I’m sorry for yelling,” he didn’t continue speaking until he was sure his heart was settled and he wouldn’t raise his voice. Tiredness and melancholy replaced the anger in his words. “But you must understand. I can’t look at the world with the same kind of optimism Adrien does. He was raised in a bubble, while I was thrown out to the wolves as soon as I was old enough to be of use to Gabriel. I never stood a chance.” He chuffed out a sardonic laugh. “You must be coming to regret this marriage again.”

“No,” Kagami disagreed instantly, to his surprise, “In fact, I’m grateful. I should be the one apologizing. I should know better than to bring Adrien up, especially considering my own feelings regarding myself and Marinette. I must admit, I’ve made a habit of comparing the two of you, but it isn’t always in a negative way. I mean, I could never have a frank conversation with Adrien like this, the way I can with you. He’s always much too polite. Sometimes I wonder if he’s holding back his true personality. I appreciate your honesty, in contrast, even if it means you’re a bit of a prick sometimes.”

“Really?” Félix could feel himself relax again. She made it so easy to, even thought he was wound tight as a string just moments before, “Go on then. Tell me more about how much better than Adrien I am.”

Kagami sent him a bemused smile, but entertained him regardless, “Well for one, you have a backbone. You know where to draw boundaries with people and would never let yourself be taken advantage of by someone like _Lila_.” She practically hissed out the name. Félix made a mental note to ask her just how bad the blood between the two of them ran one day. “You have a better sense of fashion, and you’re never underdressed. You can understand me better, sometimes without me having to say anything at all. Not to mention your Chinese accent is much, much better than his, and so on and so forth. But in the end, it’s needless to draw comparisons at all. You’re two different people, and your existence is worth more than merely being his foil or shadow.”

There was a warmth in Félix’s chest, like curling up on a winter’s eve next to the fireplace, his favourite book in his hands, or his first time playing on a Stradivarius violin. He couldn’t place it, the unfamiliar emotion. He was terrified of it.

“Right, there was another reason I called you up here,” Kagami interrupted his thoughts, and Félix’s head snapped up where she was currently standing on her tip-toes in front of her bookshelf. She seemed to be reaching for a small box on the top shelf, which was a bit too high for her stature. With some smug sense of satisfaction, Félix strolled up casually behind her and reached over her head, plucking the item off the shelf with ease. Kagami fixed him with a stare that was an interesting mixture of sullen and grateful.

The box in her hands had the Tsurugi emblem artisanally engraved onto its lid, and just the mere look of it screamed ‘priceless’ and ‘family heirloom’. Sure enough, Kagami opened the box to reveal an intricate, ancient-looking silver ring with etched with an incredibly detailed dragon snaking its way around the circumference of the band.

“This ring has been passed down through the Tsurugi family for generations as an engagement ring. I suppose since ours is official now, it’s time for me to gift it to you,” Kagami elaborated as she presented it to him. Realization quickly dawned on him, and in an instant, his heartrate shot through the roof, “So, officially speaking, I must ask: 

Félix Agreste, will you marry me?”

-

Adrien was contemplating how he got to this point in his life, standing in the middle of a Cartier jewellery store, watching his cousin pour over their displays of engagement rings with the same intensity he did a championship chess match.

“Why is this such a big deal? And isn’t the ring supposed to come _before_ the actual engagement?” He asked.

“You don’t understand, she beat me to it,” Félix growled in frustration, raising his left hand to point angrily at the beautiful band on his ring finger, “And not only that, she gave me a precious, one-of-a-kind family heirloom. How am I supposed to one-up that?” 

“I don’t think this is supposed to be a competition,” Adrien shook his head in disbelief, “And even if it is, why did you bring me with you?

“I thought you would know a thing or two about rings, considering you always wear one,” Félix’s eyes flickered down to Adrien’s miraculous, and the younger Agreste’s shoulders stiffened in anxiety. It had become significantly more difficult to hide his identity with Félix around. While he was usually home alone, now he shared the mansion with his cousin. His exceedingly intelligent and perceptive cousin. There had already been many close calls regarding the suspicious smell of camembert.

“Oh, right. Yeah, I guess I might know a thing or two,” Adrien had no choice but pretend to agree, hoping to high heavens that Félix wouldn’t actually ask him for advice.

“Can you bring me the most expensive ring in your store? No, wait, the one with the biggest diamond, the most carats,” Luckily, Félix was instead directing his questions to the bemused shopkeeper, even though they were awful questions.

“Félix, do you really think just because it’s the most expensive or precious ring, that means it’d be the best one for Kagami?”

“That’s true, it might not be to her tastes,” his cousin tapped the bottom of his chin with his index finger, brows furrowed in concentration, “It’s better to be on the safe side. I’ll buy one of every ring in the store and gift her all of them. She can simply choose the one she likes best.”

“What? No, Félix, that’s insane,” Adrien hurried to stop his cousin from making an absolutely ridiculous purchasing decision. Even the shopkeeper looked like she might faint from the prospect of such a big sale, “I don’t think my dad will be happy about you spending that much money, anyway. Even if we can afford it.”

Félix scoffed, “It would defeat the purpose if I used uncle Gabriel’s money for this. Of course I’ll be using my own.”

“What? You can afford this? How?”

“Stocks,” Félix explained succinctly.

“Right,” Adrien couldn’t wrap his head around the machinations that Félix got up to in secret. He wouldn’t be surprised if one day he woke up and his cousin had somehow become the prime minister of France, despite being underaged, “Still, shouldn’t the point be that you’re buying the ring while thinking of her? Buying all of them is just kinda phoning it in, isn’t it?”

“While thinking of Kagami, hm?” Félix’s eyes softened, his gaze drifting down to the ring on his own finger. The expression on his face was something Adrien had never seen on him before, a mix of fondness and pure, genuine affection. It was obvious that he liked Kagami, but Adrien wondered if his cousin was even aware of how deep his feelings were. To an outsider looking in, he seemed to be downright besotted. Given his personality, though, Félix would likely be in denial of such things for a long, long time.

“She practices a wide variety of sports, so a large and clunky one wouldn’t suit her,” Félix thought aloud, now looking over the display case with a different kind of vigor, maybe even a bounce in his step, “She likes red, so perhaps a ruby instead of a diamond. And I’m certain she prefers silver to gold…”

It was much simpler to choose a ring after that, Félix even seemed to have fun, whittling down the options until he selected the perfect one for his fiancée. It was a neat and clean ring, the glittering ruby inlaid within the band itself instead of sticking out from it, trading size for cleanliness. 

“She’s gonna love it,” Adrien hummed with satisfaction.

“I certainly hope so,” Félix agreed, then quickly changed course to his next objective, “Now. About the proposal. I was thinking, I rent out a restaurant, hire a string quartet, then at the end of the night, lead her to a helicopter where-”

“What? Félix, didn’t you learn your lesson?” Adrien sighed in exasperation.

To his surprise, his cousin actually started chuckling. The sound of actual laughter and joy was exiting from Félix Agreste’s mouth. Adrien began to wonder if he’d been magically transported to another dimension. Was this, perhaps, an akuma attack?

“I was only joking,” the other blond smiled, completely uncharacteristically, “I understand Kagami would hate such an ostentatious display. I’ll give it to her over tea or something. In private.”

“You…joke?” Adrien was still stunned. What had happened to the cousin he knew?

“Well yes,” Félix shrugged, “Kagami and I joke around quite often. Or rather, it’s more like we tease each other. It’s ever so fun to make her frustrated.”

Adrien couldn’t believe his ears. He knew that Félix acted…differently, around Kagami. As if the two of them considered each other kindred spirits, and there was an understanding between them that no one else could ever broach. He didn’t realize how those changes were seeping into Félix’s interactions with other people as well. Somehow, shoving two haughty and aloof people like them together actually ended up with each of them loosening up a bit more. However it happened, Adrien was glad to see the change. He knew now for sure: the two of them would be very happy together.


	8. Carton Rouge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while, I was contemplating for a while whether I should just wait until 'Félix' aired so I could keep things in character since I don't like straying too far from canon.
> 
> But then I thought eh, screw it.

Félix stared boredly at the empty runway and Kagami stared boredly at Félix, observing the way his eyelids slid down a millimeter every once in a while, betraying how close he really was to falling asleep.

Neither of them were particularly interested in fashion, yet both had to attend the show, arriving early even, due to their respective guardians. Félix in particular had become more and more entrenched in his responsibilities to the Agreste family and the Gabriel line, not to mention preparing for his university admissions. Apparently for him, it was Harvard Business School or nothing. He didn’t even seem particularly worried about getting in, merely annoyed, as if writing essays and the SAT were small inconveniences eating into time he could be spending reading books.

The weather was hot that day, and the show itself was taking place inside the greenhouse of a botanical garden, since the theme had something to do with flowers. Kagami wasn’t sure, since she’d only been pretending to listen to her mother when she talked. What was important was that the greenhouse was humid, and the glass building simply soaked up the heat of the sun’s rays. Félix’s grouchiness was out in full force with his intolerance to heat. For the first time, she watched him reach up to his necktie, observing the way his slender fingers loosened it a notch. He even unbuttoned his dress shirt down to his collarbone. And then, miracles of all miracles, he took off his waistcoat entirely, hanging it off the back of his chair.

It occurred to Kagami that it was somewhat voyeuristic of her to be watching him this closely, and she felt a smidge of guilt. Was hanging out with Marinette so much rubbing off on her? These days, she felt it was more difficult _not_ to watch Félix than to watch him. Maybe it was like…observing a wild animal? Félix had a sort of feline grace to him, his movement sometimes resembling a panther on its haunches. So prickly and wary and observant. Yet whenever she was with him, that guard would drop a little. She took pride in that, small thing that it was.

“Are we allowed to leave after Adrien walks?” Félix mumbled quietly to her, leaning in close to her ear so that only she could hear. His shoulder pressed into her own, and she could feel how warm he felt through the thin fabric of his dress shirt on her bare shoulder. “I can’t bear this any longer.”

“Adrien is going last, he’s the grand finale. You know how nepotism works.”

“Ugh,” The sound that came out of Félix’s mouth was downright ungentlemanly, “I swear, if I faint from heatstroke, someone is getting sued. A greenhouse in mid-August. What a stupid venue.”

He shifted back away, but only slightly. Their shoulders were still touching. It seemed like a bit counterintuitive for him to be sharing body heat if he thought it was too hot. Kagami was tempted to ask him about that, but then she recognized the familiar blonde hair of Chloé Bourgeois approaching them, her parents not far behind.

“Oh, good. They gave us front row seats this time,” she sniffed, and Kagami realized that Félix was only leaning into her because he realized that Chloé had been seated on his other side. It was a good thing she’d held her tongue. “Shame about the company, though.”

“Wonderful, my least favourite Bourgeois is here,” Félix glared back at her, “And let me remind you that when we were children, your mother once locked me in a closet for touching one of her antique coat hangers.”

“It was a Louis Vuitton hanger, you deserved it.”

“I missed three meals because she forgot I was in there,” then Félix’s lips curled up from a grimace into a cruel smile, “Then again, I wouldn’t expect anything less from a woman who forgets her own daughter’s name.”

Chloé’s eyes widened, and she let out a soft whimper of genuine hurt. Kagami recognized that a line was crossed. With a gentle but firm hand, she reached up and grasped Félix’s jaw, physically turning his face away from the other girl. It caught him off guard enough to silence whatever complaint he could have had on his tongue. Instead, he just stared at her with pinking cheeks as she chastised him.

“Too far, Félix. I know the heat’s getting to you, but you need to cool down.”

She felt his cheeks puff slightly under the tips of her fingers. Was he…pouting? It was barely perceptible but he was definitely sulking to some extent.

“She started it,” he offered, knowingly obtuse.

“Why don’t you get us something cold to drink? Sitting in the sun is driving you delirious.”

“Fair enough,” Félix relented rather quickly. Kagami had expected more of a fight, but he must not have been in the mood today.

Her fingers even felt a little cold as he pulled away and stood to find the caterers. She fell back into the habit of watching him as he left, observing the way his dress shirt fit perfectly over his back and shoulders, the white material not 100% opaque under the sun. The hints of lean muscle disturbed the fabric whenever he moved. It really was a nice fit. So were his pants-

Kagami blinked. Abruptly disturbed as her line of sight dipped below his belt. She really was spending too much time with Marinette.

“This is ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous,” Chloé was pouting at her for real, blatantly and childishly, “It’s not fair that he’s so nice to you, yet he dares to treat me like that!”

“He’s my fiancé. What did you expect?”

“I thought all that fiancé stuff was fake,” Chloé pulled out a nail file from out of nowhere and began working on her cuticles, “I mean, Bookworm Félix? Getting married? Utterly ridiculous. I guess even I can be wrong though. He’s obviously stupidly in love with you. Who knows why though.”

Kagami’s head shot up in alarm, “In love? Why would you think that?”

“You’ve got him wrapped around your finger. Tamed him into a docile little kitty,” the blonde heiress chortled in amusement at her own thoughts, “Who woulda thought, Félix Agreste is completely whipped.”

“I wouldn’t say that. He argues with me frequently,” Kagami shook her head. 

“Yeah, but he lets you argue back. He’d shut you down immediately if he didn’t like you,” Chloé huffed, recollecting all her past experiences with the cantankerous youth, “And he lets you touch him. Félix _hates_ being touched. He only puts up with it if he absolutely has to. Jerking his head around like you just did would get anyone else killed, or at least publicly humiliated.”

“You must have misunderstood,” Kagami denied. Chloé wasn’t the best source of advice in this area, anyway. Her ability to misinterpret other’s people contempt for her as adoration was on a whole other level.

Luckily, Chloé didn’t say anything else as Félix returned, carrying two bottles of bottled water in one hand. He tossed one at Kagami abruptly, hoping to catch her off guard, but she snatched it out of the air with ease.

“Seriously?” He groaned as he sat back down, settling again with his shoulder touching hers, “Why must you be so competent at everything?”

“It’s all thanks to years of parental pressure bordering on child abuse,” Kagami stated bluntly. While Chloé gaped in surprise, Félix merely smiled, already used to their rapport of blatantly critiquing Tomoe and Gabriel’s parenting skills.

“I wouldn’t call it borderline, but I can relate,” he clinked his bottle with hers, “Cheers to that.”

He threw his head back and drank, and Kagami only watched his Adam’s apple bob for a few seconds before doing the same.

-

“Congratulations, you looked good out there,” Kagami was smiling at Adrien, that shy reserved smile that he’d gotten used to monopolizing, and Félix just remembered it was never cultivated for his sake in the first place.

He couldn’t particularly criticize her for it. He’d known from the beginning that she liked Adrien, that their marriage would be one of convenience. Now that the show was over, all he wanted to do was get away. From the unbearable heat, from the sight of Kagami and Adrien giggling over some inside joke, and especially from that ugly, curdling feeling he wish he didn’t recognize as jealousy.

Without a word, Félix turned on his heel and began to walk away.

He didn’t get ten steps away before there was a sharp tug on his wrist, and a familiar hand spun him around. He looked down in shock as the dark ochre colour he’d recognize anywhere now glared back up at him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Kagami asked sharply, “I thought my fiancé was supposed to escort me back home.”

“I thought you’d want some alone time with Adrien. You don’t get to talk with him as much now, since your mother’s forcing you to accompany me all the time,” Félix ended up sounding a lot more bitter and transparent than he wanted to. Luckily, Kagami was never good enough at reading social cues to tell.

“I can talk to him during fencing class,” she let her grip drop to his hand, and she clasped their fingers together tightly. Kagami had grown used to holding hands with him, though they never did it unless in public, when they were expected to put on a show.

“I thought you liked him? I don’t mind. We know this engagement is a farce anyway,” Félix dropped his voice to a whisper, leaning in as close as he dared so she could hear.

Kagami watched him, staring back with that same unreadable expression he’d seen once before back when he told her he didn’t believe in love. 

“It’s fine. As far as I’m concerned, Adrien is just a friend now,” she answered, “I don’t think I have feelings for him anymore.”

Félix’s eyes opened wide in shock. He experienced an unusual phenomenon he could only describe as the whole world skipping a beat, as if the revolution of the Earth stuttered for a second under his feet. He didn’t even notice that his hand subconsciously tightened around hers, squeezing hard, though he did notice the way it made her brow twitch just slightly.

“What?” Was the most intelligent thing that Félix Agreste, brilliant as he was, could think of to say at that moment.

“I haven’t thought about him at all lately, and I don’t feel any particular way when I speak with him anymore,” Kagami answered, as straightforward as ever, and Félix felt like a sandcastle crumbling to pieces in comparison to her rigid, steely composure, “Lately, I’ve just been…just been…”

Scratch that. They were both sandcastles, crumbling into the sea. Kagami’s stare suddenly averted from his own. And as she looked at the ground, her eyebrows rose in shock…no, realization. He watched her lips part, then close again. And then, something shuttered close in her, though he couldn’t tell what.

“I’ve just been preoccupied,” she finished, then let go of his hand and marched ahead, her face hidden from view so that he couldn’t read her even if he tried, “Let’s go. My mother’s car is waiting.”

-

Kagami figured that she didn’t really have much luck with men. First it was Adrien, and he never really considered her a target. And now…

She observed Félix from the corner of her eye. In his stark white dress shirt and deep green vest, he clashed horribly with the red interior of the limousine. Sharp, and jutting out of the background, invading her space everywhere she looked, even if she closed her eyes. It was so obvious, she didn’t know how it took her this long to realize it.

Whatever space Adrien once occupied in her heart, that was now all replaced, and then some, by Félix.

Félix, her fiancé who swore he’d never fall in love.

Kagami focused on her breathing. In and out. She imagined she was back in the training grounds, swinging her shinai over and over. Training until her hands bled and all the dismal thoughts in her head disappeared.


	9. Attaque

Kagami never hesitated. Or at least, she liked to tell herself that.

However, sitting across from her newest target in the comfort of her own home as he politely ransacked her bookcase, Kagami was suddenly tongue-tied. How was this so much more difficult than it was with Adrien? Was it because of Félix himself? With his cold gaze, even now as he judged the volume in his hands with his usual haughty air, Félix was admittedly rather intimidating. Kagami had once thought herself to seem unapproachable, but Félix took it to another level.

Mostly because he did it on purpose.

It didn’t matter. Her thoughts were only a means of stalling herself right now, and Kagami would not allow herself to be a coward. She was going to do what she always did: act. No hesitation.

“Would you like to go out?” she asked.

Félix merely raised one perfectly arched eyebrow at her, “Outside? But the heat is unbearable. I’d much rather stay in here and read.” 

Kagami held back the urge to roll her eyes. This was the same man who would endlessly complain to her about how oblivious Adrien was.

Félix seemed to give her words a bit more thought, then spoke again, the sharpness in his tone a bit more artificial this time, “Why? Am I boring you?”

Even so, he failed to get the point. Still, she couldn’t be mad at him when he sounded so concerned. It was sweet…by his standards, anyway.

“Hmm…I supposed I’ve been a rather awful guest,” he admitted, placing the book he was browsing back on the shelf, “I’m the only person your mother allows over. We should use our time more effectively. How about some chess? I’ll give you a handicap and play blindfolded.”

The first time Félix played chess with her and gave her a ridiculous handicap, Kagami had felt offended. It wasn’t something she played professionally, but chess was considered an intelligent and elegant game by her mother, so she’d been tutored in it and was far above her peers in skill. But she’d still lost miserably to Félix every time. She learned quickly that when playing with the young chessmaster, it was best to take as many handicaps as he would give you, simply so that the game could be even a little bit fun for either of them.

Kagami sighed, having already lost her gumption, “Fine.” 

She would simply have to try again another time.

As it turned out, that time came sooner than expected.

She was about five moves away from being checkmated when her phone rang, a familiar name popping up on the caller ID. 

“What was that?” Félix asked, still blinded by the tie wrapped around his eyes.

“Marinette. Don’t tell my mother I have her in my phone,” Kagami replied, before answering the call. The pigtailed girl’s face filled up the screen. Marinette had taken up a fondness for video calls. Kagami preferred them as well. It made it a bit easier on her to communicate and read social cues when she could see someone’s face.

“Hey Kagami! So, what do you know about Chez Millefleur?” Marinette seemed somewhat anxious, and even Félix perked up in the background at the mention of the name.

“It’s that fancy, exclusive, Michelin star restaurant isn’t it? I heard reservations have to be made half a year in advance,” Kagami didn’t mention that her mother once forced them to serve her with only a few hours of notice. 

“Yes! That one!” Marinette chirped, “Well you see, they recently collaborated on a few dessert recipes with our bakery, and as thanks, they gifted my parents a free dinner for two. Tonight, in fact. But my parents have a huge order they need to prep for tomorrow, so they can’t go. And you know, since you’re rich and probably like fancy food, I was wondering if you wanted to go with me!”

Kagami noted two things. One: Chez Millefleur was known primarily as a couple’s spot for romantic nights out and two: she most definitely would not be Marinette’s first choice. So it wasn’t that difficult to guess what had happened.

“You didn’t have the guts to ask Adrien, did you?” Kagami asked bluntly.

Marinette’s face fell, and she sighed with all the weight that a love-scored teenage girl could muster, “You’re right. It’s just so hard. I get so nervous. And what if he thinks it’s a date? Which it obviously is, but like, I don’t want him to think that. He’d totally reject me. How do you do it? You always had so much confidence with Adrien- and oh. I’m sorry, it’s probably really insensitive of me to be talking with you about Adrien right? Ugh, I just keep screwing up today.”

“Calm down, Marinette,” Kagami chuckled as the blueberry girl continued to rant on self-deprecatingly, “It’s fine. I’ve had plenty of time to get over Adrien. So you should ask him out. Remember what I told you. No hesitating.”

“Wait, really? You’re not just saying that, are you?”

“Do I look like the type of person who would lie to spare your feelings?” Kagami remarked, and Félix stifled a laugh from where he was listening in.

“Point taken,” Marinette agreed, but continued to look worried, chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip, “But I still don’t have the courage. How do you do it?”

“You just do,” Kagami wasn’t sure how to explain it in words, though she supposed she could demonstrate it, “Like this. Félix, would you like to have dinner with me at Chez Millefleur tonight?”

Félix’s eyes might have widened under his blindfold, but Kagami couldn’t tell for sure. She was surprised he was still wearing that thing. He sure liked to take his chess handicaps seriously.

“I suppose. But I’d appreciate if you gave me more notice. It’s going to be a pain getting us reservations this late,” he made a show of begrudgingly digging out his cellphone to place a call.

“Wait, you’re with Félix right now?” Marinette questioned.

“Yes,” Kagami affirmed, turning her phone around to show Marinette that he was seated across from her, “Out parents have ordained that we spend time together.”

“Oh…” Marinette murmured, then added, somewhat perturbed, “Why is he blindfolded?”

“Because we’re playing chess.”

“That raises more questions than it answers but you know what? Never mind,” Marinette waved off whatever thoughts she was having and went back to pondering her own situation, “Still, I don’t think that’s gonna work with me and Adrien. We’re not engaged. I can’t just ask him.”

“Hm…we could take a leaf from his own playbook,” Kagami suggested, “Remember when we went on that double date with Luka? Tell him that we happened to be going tonight, and invited you along since you had free tickets. Ask him along just to even out the group.”

“That could work!” Marinette gasped.

“Absolutely not,” Félix groused at the same time, before remembering that he was on the phone and having to correct the person on the other end, “No, I wasn’t talking to you. Yes, I still want that reservation. Yes, the name is Agreste, and I will be dining with Kagami Tsurugi. Need I spell it out for you?”

“Don’t complain,” Kagami threw back at him, “Think of it as bonding time with your cousin.”

If she could see his eyes, she was sure that Félix would be glaring at her right now. That petulant, somewhat tempered glare he reserved for when he didn’t really mean it. Somehow, he always ended up going along with whatever she wanted, even if he complained all the while.

-

“I hope we’re not intruding on your date,” Adrien smiled apologetically as he lowered himself into the seat next Marinette, diagonal to Kagami herself.

“Of course not,” Kagami reassured, while Félix clicked his tongue in disapproval from beside her.

She glanced at Marinette, who had obviously tried her best for tonight, dressed in a beautifully stitched lace sundress of her own making, her usual pigtails curled into a wavy updo. But for all the preparation she put into the pre-dinner, she now sat completely silent, doing nothing but turning red in the face. Then again, judging by the way Adrien was looking at her as if she hung the moon and stars, she didn’t really have to do anything else. 

“Thank you, Kagami. Now I have to watch my cousin make doe eyes at Dupain-Cheng all night,” Félix complained, his voice hardly a whisper. He pointedly made sure that the other two could hear him too. If it were even humanly possible, Marinette turned an even deeper shade of red.

“I just thinks she looks nice,” Adrien abashedly scratched the back of his neck, “I mean, not that you don’t either, Kagami. You’re also really pretty-“

With a sudden thwack mid-sentence, Félix tossed a leather-bound menu onto Adrien’s dinner mat, using enough force to make the cutlery jiggle.

“I think it’s time to order, don’t you?” And then he looked at Adrien and, horror of all horrors, stretched his mouth into a thin, very fake, exaggeratedly saccharine smile.

“Uh, right,” Adrien picked up on the cue immediately and began to pour over the menu, “So, the filet mignon looks good. What do you think, Marinette?”

“Oh, yes. I’d love some stick-I mean steak! Sounds great!” Marinette answered without even glancing at the menu, where there were actually several kinds of steak listed.

It was par for the course, but Kagami knew that her friend would calm down eventually. She could hold a normal conversation with Adrien once she got into the swing of things. For now, she had to focus on her own issues. Mainly, the black-suited blond currently stuffily judging the menu of Paris’ most acclaimed restaurant as if it owed him money. He really couldn’t put his ego down for even a second, could he? She couldn’t tell if he was warding Adrien off because he was jealous, or because it hurt his pride.

“So, does anything catch his highness’ fancy?” Kagami asked sarcastically.

Félix simply looked at her for a second, then made a soft, noncommittal hum, “The duck confit. And what about you, Ice Queen?”

“You do know that nickname is technically an insult right?”

“Yes, that’s why I called you it.”

Kagami shot him an unimpressed look, “As if you’re one to talk. If I’m the Ice Queen, then that makes you the Ice King.”

A smug smirk, “Yes, and I’m rather proud of that fact.”

A roll of the eye, “Just order already.”

-

Marinette stared at the monstrosity on her plate. It looked like…raw egg yolk? On top of raw ground beef? It looked absolutely revolting, even when surrounded by high class garnishes.

“I thought I ordered a steak?” She wondered aloud.

“You ordered steak tartare,” Félix answered dryly, his voice dripping with his usual ‘I can’t believe I have to tell you this’-ness, “Tartare is a well known raw meat dish. Isn’t your family in the culinary field? How could you not know this-Ow!“

Kagami had stomped on his foot. One side glance was all it took for him the read the implicit statement in her gesture. _”Play nice.”_

Félix glared at her as if he would sooner order the steak tartare himself than let her boss him around. Adrien watched their silent power struggle with knowing amusement. Sure enough, it was eventually Félix who relented.

“My apologies. I was being rude,” he gritted out at Marinette, who seemed less comfortable with the apology than with just simply being insulted.

“It’s fine!” She tried to brush it off.

“No, it’s not,” Kagami interjected, “You’re too nice, Marinette. You can’t let people like Félix walk all over you.”

“Are you really the best person to be giving that advice?” Félix rolled his eyes, “You walk over me much more often than the other way around.”

“Yes, I do,” Kagami smiled cheekily at him, “And it’s been working wonderfully for me.”

Félix immediately began sputtering back in retaliation. Adrien simply relaxed into his seat, eyes flitting between the two of them as they went back and forth, trapped yet again in another one of their never-ending arguments.

“They’re pretty fun to watch, aren’t they?” He asked Marinette, who jumped a bit in her seat at being spoken to.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. They really are,” she giggled, “Honestly, I thought Félix was super scary when I first met him, but he’s actually kinda…”

She trailed off, watching with bemusement as the older Agreste started physically stealing pieces of Kagami’s dinner in retaliation. He was even whistling while doing it.

“…dorky?” Marinette finished.

“He plays chess for fun and wears half a tube of hair gel every day,” Adrien whispered conspiratorially in her ear, not noticing the way she froze as he drew near, “Dorky is a good way to put it. And just between you and me, I’ve actually caught him reading harlequin romance novels once or twice.”

-

“That dinner was awful,” Félix grumbled as they exited the restaurant, his mood only souring as he saw the skies had clouded over while they were inside. A summer rain was pouring down. “I didn’t bring an umbrella.”

“I did!” Marinette chirped, withdrawing a black umbrella from her bag, “Only one though. Uh…maybe if we squish?”

“It’s fine,” Kagami smiled at her, “Why don’t you and Adrien just go ahead together? We’ll figure something out.”

“Oh, uh, well. If Adrien wants to. Do you?” Marinette turned to the other blond.

“Sure, let’s go. We should give the happy coupled some privacy,” he took the umbrella from her and opened it up above the two of them, “Hey, isn’t this the umbrella that I gave you? I can’t believe you kept it!”

“Oh! Well, you know, no need to waste a perfectly good umbrella! Hahahaha!”

And with one more wave, the two of them departed.

“I can’t believe you let a perfectly good umbrella get away,” Félix remarked as soon as they disappeared from sight.

“I’m just trying to help Marinette,” Kagami shrugged.

“…So you really are over him,” Félix wordlessly began removing his blazer. Kagami watched with a mix of surprise and intense endearment as he lifted it over their heads, bending down so that it could cover her perfectly, “Then was the whole point of this date to try to set the two up together?”

“Partly,” Kagami acquiesced as the two of them stepped out into the rain. Granted, they could have just called her mother for a ride, but there was an unspoken agreement between them that anything would be better than having to involve Madame Tsurugi.

“Partly? What other reason was there?”

“I just wanted to go on a date with you.”

The sleeve of the blazer whacked Kagami in the face as the boy behind her stumbled, nearly tripping over his feet. He recomposed himself quickly, straightening back up and repositioning their makeshift umbrella.

“I-it sure didn’t seem like you were enjoying my company,” Félix stuttered when he was nervous. It was adorable.

“I always enjoy your company,” Kagami gave him a sly smirk, “I really like you, after all.”

Félix didn’t have much of a response to that. The two had stopped walking, instead being what was surely a nuisance in the middle of the sidewalk. While Kagami was still nearly completely dry, the back and shoulders of Félix’s once crisp white dress shirt had been drenched through. He’d prioritized keeping her covered instead of himself. Ever the gentleman, even when he pretended he wasn’t one.

“And just because I have the feeling the Agreste Obliviousness runs in the family, I’ll make this clear,” she continued, pleased to see Félix’s face turn redder and redder as he began to figure out where she was going with this, “I don’t mean as just a friend.”


	10. Prise de Fer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Chat Blanc" showed me that my characterization of Gabriel is pretty much spot on.
> 
> Then "Félix" showed me that my characterization of Félix is hilariously off. But oh well, we die like men.

Félix had once considered Gabriel Agreste to be the most amazing person in the world. He was successful, intelligent, a man who had everything. Yet a little thing such as love was able to break him. To turn him into a reclusive, pitiful man who had nothing. Félix couldn’t stand to have that happen to him, to put everything he’s ever worked for at risk for the sake of a single person. Such emotions were useless. 

They were also inevitable and out of his control, as he was quickly learning. 

He had never expected Kagami to make such a great impact on him. He didn’t even realize when it happened. It wasn’t an instant recognition, not like in cliché romance novels, but rather something that piled up over time, until one day he blinked and realized he adored every little thing that she did.

And she had just confessed to him, hadn’t she?

He never thought it would happen to him, never thought he was even capable of feelings like this. Yet it felt to him as if for his entire life, he was waiting for this moment, and every warning he’d ever given himself about closing off his heart from love didn’t even matter. Right now, all that mattered was giving her his response and…it occurred to him that he’d been gawking at her like an absolute moron for over a minute now, and she was starting to look somewhat concerned.

“It’s alright if you don’t feel the same way,” Kagami sighed in resignation, “I apologize if I caught you off guard. However, I don’t intend to give up easily. If you don’t mind, I intend to court you relentlessly-“

“I think I’m in love with you,” Félix stated, not particularly suavely nor collectedly, but almost in awe. He could feel a sense of wonder, like it was his first Christmas (and he wasn’t the wiseacre child that didn’t ever believe in Santa that he was), like there was something fantastical about standing in the rain and getting soaked while accidentally spilling his feelings out to a girl he’d hated just months ago. There was nothing to describe this, nothing to summate just how happy, yet terrified, he felt.

Kagami’s eyes widened, and Félix hastened to backtrack, “Wait. I didn’t mean to say that. Obviously, ‘love’ is a pretty strong word to use, considering we haven’t been acquainted for that long. Not to take away from what I’m saying, since I do admire you, greatly and in a romantic sense. That was just a slip of the tongue and…and I’m making a fool of myself, aren’t I?”

“Yes, you are,” She smiled in agreement, absolutely twinkling with mirth, “and it’s wonderful.”

-

When Félix got home, he numbly balled up his blazer. It was an expensive dry-clean only piece that was now soaked and likely irreparably ruined, but that didn’t particularly matter right now. He turned to Adrien, who quirked an eyebrow at him, calmly doing his math homework on the couch.

“I think I’m dating my fiancée,” he informed him in disbelief, still not having quite come down to Earth yet.

“It’s about time,” Adrien chirped not at all surprised, “I was wondering when it’d happen since, for a guy as smart as you are, you can be kinda oblivious sometimes, Félix.”

Félix blinked at his little shit of a cousin who could still barely do derivatives, scrawling away on his math worksheet. Did he just…?

“Did you just call me oblivious?” he gaped, “You, Adrien Agreste, are calling _me_ oblivious?”

“Yeah?” Adrien looked up at him with those dumb puppy dog eyes of his and blinked owlishly like some adorable devil from hell, “I mean, wasn’t it obvious that you and Kagami liked each other? How could you not notice that?”

“This is unbelievable,” Félix grumbled as he marched across the room, tugging off his dress shirt for the hamper, “You are unbelievable, Adrien Agreste. But know this, at least I figured it out. Who knows how long it will be until you and Marinette get together.”

“Marinette?” Adrien shot up from his seat, “What does she have to do with this?”

“Nevermind,” Félix rolled his eyes and ascended the stairs, “I’m done with this conversation. Now please excuse me, as I desperately need a hot shower. I swear, if I catch a cold from all this nonsense…”

-

“Sorry, he caught a cold,” Adrien grinned sheepishly at Kagami when she knocked on their door the next morning, “I don’t think he can go out for whatever you had planned today.”

Kagami merely nodded, “Of course. He was being an utter fool with regards to his health last night. Honestly, I could have afforded to get a little wet.”

As sharp as her words were, the Tsurugi’s eyes were soft with affection, her mouth curled into a tiny gratified smile. She held up a bright red thermos, which Adrien just now noticed she was carrying.

“We don’t actually have anything planned for today, I just knew he’d get himself sick, so I brought some rice porridge over,” she stepped through the door, apparently not at all fearing Gabriel’s wrath and completely intent on seeing Félix right at that moment. Then again, if she was let in through the front gate, then she was probably allowed to be there, “It’s a traditional Japanese cold remedy. Though I don’t cook very often, I don’t think I messed it up.”

“Aww, you made him food?” Adrien cooed, which was apparently the wrong thing to do, as Kagami’s eyes snapped to fix his with a sharp glare.

“Just tell me where his room is.”

Adrien, being mostly of sound mind and not wishing death upon himself unless he was sacrificing himself for Ladybug, obediently pointed up the stairs, “Third door on the left.”

-

Kagami gave the door three quick taps before settling back on her heels. A muffled “Mrrrrrgh” that might have sounded something like “come in” if spoken into a pillow, while underwater, was the response. How out of character. She’d never seen Félix sick before, somewhat unruffled at times, for sure, but never undone. Now she was curious. Wasting no more time, she unceremoniously barged into the room, taking quick inventory of her surroundings.

Félix’s room was very obviously a guest room, bare walls, impersonal furnishings, his suitcases tucked under the bed. The only touch that was truly his was the bounty of books stacked high upon the bedside table. It was large and luxurious, as expected of the Agrestes, but also cold and stark, also expected of the Agrestes. Félix himself was bundled under his covers, a lump with strands of blond peeking out on his pillow.

“Nathalie, I told you I’m fine. You don’t have to check up on me so often,” he grumbled, his voice scratchy. With all the grace and finesse of a drunk sloth, he peeled back the covers, revealing Félix Agreste in all his morning glory. He looked awful, even more pallid than usual, and clearly lacked sleep by the dark circles under his eyes. Still, even at his sickest, he could have stepped straight out of a magazine cover. Naturally, he slept in full silk pyjamas, buttoned up to his neck. Kagami sometimes wondered if he was even aware of how stereotypically rich he acted. All that aside, the thing that caught her eye most was his hair. For the first time since she met him, his coiffed locks were unstyled, a shagged lion’s mane littered with flyaways. It actually looked…incredibly fluffy, light shining in through the windows, illuminating it with an ironic halo above his head. Kagami’s fingers twitched involuntarily with the urge to raise her hand and just pet him. 

So she did. No hesitation, right?

His eyes glared blearily at her, apparently not quite understanding the situation, though to her surprise, he subconsciously leaned into her touch, almost nuzzling into her hand. The cold really must have addled him, considering how sharp his mind usually was. Kagami absentmindedly stroked her fingers through his hair, surprised that it was so soft. She’d expected it to be ruined by all of the products he put in it. 

Eventually, his eyes blinked back into clarity, and his head snapped back instantly, a comical look of shock on his usually impassive face, “Kagami!? W-why are you here?”

“Because I walked in through the door,” she deadpanned, before softening her voice, “I came to check on you. How are you feeling?”

“I…I’m fine,” he sighed, quickly sitting up straight, and composing himself as well as he could for someone who was acting like a spoiled kitten a moment earlier, “But seriously, why are you here? I’m still contagious you know?”

“I don’t get sick easily,” Kagami shrugged, “The Tsurugis are very strict about maintaining our health. My immune system is iron.”

“I suppose I should add that to the list of things your mother controls for you.”

“You really don’t like her, do you?”

“Because she doesn’t treat you well,” Félix seethed, and Kagami was almost disturbed by how touched she felt that someone hated her mother, “So what’s in the thermos?”

“Rice porridge. It’s a Japanese cold remedy. A bit too homeopathic for my taste, but it’s good enough for a cold.”

“Did the AI in your house cook this?” Félix cautiously took the thermos from her and unscrewed the cap, eyeing it suspiciously, “I always wondered, who makes your food, anyway?”

“I made it,” Kagami answered, “Not our usual meals, we order from caterers for that, and I doubt my cooking skills would be up to my mother’s standards regardless, but I did cook the porridge.”

“You cooked this?” Félix’s eyes snapped up, looking the most life-like they’d been since he’d fallen sick.

“I just said that, didn’t I?”

Félix looked back down at the porridge as if it’d suddenly transformed from a mediocre dish to a bar of gold.

“Well, I suppose there’s no point in letting it go to waste,” he smirked, and Kagami rolled her eyes at the obvious pretense, “I’ll eat it, but only if you eat with me. After all, if it’s bad, you should have to suffer with me.”

Kagami rested her head thoughtfully on her palm, “You know, for someone who’s currently bedridden, defenseless, and vulnerable, you’ve been giving me a dangerous amount of attitude. You do know that I practically have free reign now, right?”

Félix felt a chill creep up his spine but ignored it in favour of his pride. A grave mistake, “What’s the worst you can do? Your Tsurugi honour wouldn’t let you harm a sick person.”

-

“Kagami, I apologize. Please don’t do this,” Félix was pleading with her not even a minute later.

Kagami had pulled up a chair and was seated at his bedside. In her lap, a bowl of rice porridge. In her hand, a spoonful of rice porridge, currently attempting to be hand-fed into his mouth.

“I’m sorry, is it too hot for you?” Kagami mockingly blew on the spoon, before shoving it back in his face, “Now, open wide Félix.”

“This is humiliating,” the proud Agreste buried his face in his hands. This was the kind of thing Adrien would enjoy, not him. He was not an invalid and he was not going to be treated like this, “You can’t actually expect me to let you spoon-feed me.”

“Why not? I _am_ your loving girlfriend, aren’t I?”

Félix felt his face heat up just from hearing those words. This was what they called ‘the honeymoon phase’, wasn’t it? When everything about their new relationship was all rainbows and butterflies. On the bright side, at least Kagami also looked abashed, despite being the one who said it. So now both of them were just sitting there, blushing like fools.

To his surprise, Kagami was the one who relented, for once.

“You’re right. I can’t do this, even if it’s to tease you,” she shoved the bowl at him, trying to stifle a giggle with her other hand, “Being so blatantly sweet and affectionate doesn’t suit us.”

“It doesn’t,” Félix agreed smugly, though slightly suspicious that she was just letting him off out of consideration for his current sickness, “but I prefer it this way. It’s much more comfortable.”

He took a spoonful of the porridge. It was still too hot, and scalded his tongue slightly. He had to stamp down the pain to swallow it. Compared to last night’s dinner, it would be considered plain and amateur, and was also mostly just really wet rice. Despite all of this, and the fact that his taste buds were being burned off with every bite, he ended up polishing off the entire bowl in a matter of minutes.

Kagami was staring at him, her expression a cross between awed and amused, “Did it taste that good?”

“No,” Félix answered honestly before holding out the bowl again, “But I want seconds.”

-

Kagami ended up staying for the better part of the day, before finally having to leave for one of her seemingly countless fencing practices. Félix stretched and stood from the bed. Though his cold had improved substantially throughout the duration of her stay, it felt ten times worse the moment she left.

He pawed through the piles of books he pilfered from the family library. If he was being honest, most of them weren’t his type of literature. Gabriel’s books tended to revolve around art and the fashion industry, neither of which he had any particular interest in. There were a few outliers though, a handful of books about mythology and history, which were the only ones he’d taken. There was also Adrien’s personal collection, but any of his cousin’s books which weren’t curated by his father tended to be comics.

At this point in his stay, Félix had already read everything in the mansion that was worth reading, and he was beginning to regret not borrowing anything from Kagami while he had the chance. After all, summer vacation was coming to an end soon, and he’d have to return to Germany. He likely wouldn’t be able to see her again until Christmas, and even then, their schedule for the holidays would likely be packed with their parents’ events. He knew Gabriel had his eye on an upcoming charity gala, and surely there was a New Year’s party somewhere they’d have to attend. It would be nice if they could get away, just for a few days. He didn’t want to have to wait all the way until their honeymoon, especially when he doubted Madame Tsurugi would allow their official marriage until Kagami graduated from college. That was at least another seven years he didn’t want to wait for. Bemusedly, he allowed himself to consider simply running away with her, far from all their responsibilities and domineering figureheads.

Was it frowned upon to kidnap your own fiancée? 

He supposed he could at least ask her permission first. Pulling out his phone, Félix dialed her number. Hopefully, she hadn’t already started practice. To his delight, she picked up.

“Did you need something?”

“As blunt as always. Shouldn’t you be nicer to the person you’re dating?”

“As you said, it’s more comfortable this way,” he could practically feel her smiling on the other end, “Besides, you wouldn’t call just to talk. You definitely want something.”

“You know me too well,” Félix admitted blithely, “I have a proposal. Why don’t we go somewhere during Christmas break?”

“Go where? And how? We both have too many responsibilities here.”

“Who cares?” Félix snorted, and realized he meant it. He really didn’t care. He was never particularly passionate about the company, but he fulfilled his obligations out of respect and a general sense of apathy. But now, he found something, or someone, he actually cared about. None of that mattered anymore, “We can go anywhere, as long as my uncle and your mother can’t contact us. I heard the skiing is good in Switzerland. I’m sure you’re probably a master skier, as you are with all sports.”

“It’s a tempting offer,” Kagami admitted, “I would hate to miss an opportunity to trounce you on the ski hills.”

“It’s decided then. I’ll book us a villa in Switzerland for the week of Christmas.”

“Very well. You know where my room is. I’ll be waiting for you to knock on my window and whisk me away on your white horse and golden carriage,” Kagami answered sarcastically, apparently not thinking he was serious. Oh, but he was. Félix was going to book that Villa, and they were going to stay in it, “If that’s all, I’m going to hang up now. Unlike someone, who can lie in bed all day, I really do have to get to fencing practice.”

And, true to her word, she actually hung up on him. Félix wondered just what happened to him in these few months that caused him to see such a blatant act of disrespect as something so endearing. Kagami Tsurugi was going to be the end of him.

-

“She came over with soup?” Gabriel looked to his assistant as she relayed the day’s events to him.

“Rice porridge,” Nathalie amended, “But yes. She stayed for over 8 hours in total. I spoke to Adrien, and he confirmed that they were officially dating.”

A smile crept onto his face as Gabriel, Hawkmoth, clasped his hands. He could already taste his victory.

“Ah, young love,” he reminisced, “So pure, and yet…so easy to manipulate. The feelings of despair of losing the one you love…nothing can compare to it. Soon, I will have a most powerful Akuma in my hands.”

Nathalie was silent for a moment, her eyes downcast, but eventually, she straightened her back and nodded, “Of course, sir. I shall begin preparations to…end their engagement.”


End file.
